BN-PH ties strained by grassroots reality, not Putrajaya pact, says analyst

DESPITE Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s repeated assurance that Barisan Nasional (BN) will continue backing the Madani government until Parliament is dissolved, the coalition’s cooperation with Pakatan Harapan (PH) remains difficult to sustain politically at the grassroots, according to political analyst Dr Azmi Hassan.

The Akademi Nusantara senior fellow said the challenge lies not in the federal government’s stability, but in the longstanding rivalry between Umno and DAP, which continues to shape voter perception.

He said, although BN and PH currently govern together at the federal level and in several states, including Pahang, Negeri Sembilan, Perak and Melaka, the partnership has yet to gain broad acceptance among Umno supporters.

“The reality is that Umno and DAP have always been political rivals. That perception remains strong among grassroots supporters and has affected BN’s ability to retain votes,” he said.

Azmi’s remarks come in the wake of BN’s victory in the Johor state election, where the coalition secured 48 of the 56 seats, allowing it to form the next state government.

The outcome was widely seen as a boost for Umno ahead of the Negeri Sembilan polls and reignited debate over the coalition’s long-term relationship with PH.

Unlike at the federal level, where BN and PH remain partners in the Madani government, BN has opted to align itself with Perikatan Nasional (PN) for the Negeri Sembilan state election.

The decision has fuelled speculation over the future of the unity government’s political cooperation, even as Zahid has repeatedly insisted BN will continue supporting the federal administration until the current parliamentary term ends.

Meanwhile, Azmi said the Johor state election showed that even the perception of cooperation between BN and PH was enough to make some BN supporters uncomfortable, resulting in less-than-full backing from the coalition’s traditional voter base.

He said many BN supporters were reluctant to fully embrace such cooperation, adding that a similar pattern could emerge in the upcoming Negeri Sembilan election.

According to him, Umno is also attempting to reinforce the narrative that its cooperation with PH is a necessity for governing rather than a preferred long-term political arrangement.

“What happened at the federal and state levels was because the circumstances required it. At the same time, Umno is trying to project that working with Perikatan Nasional (PN) would be a better option for forming a government,” he said.

Azmi also dismissed claims that Umno’s recent political manoeuvres suggest the party cannot be trusted, arguing that its intention to contest elections independently has never been hidden.

He said Umno had consistently maintained its ambition of eventually returning to a solo strategy, and that PH had long been aware of the party’s position.

“PH may have underestimated the political impact of that stance. But after seeing the effect, particularly in Johor, criticism surfaced that Umno could not be trusted, while the prime minister urged leaders not to attack one another publicly,” he said. – July 21, 2026