PERIKATAN Nasional (PN) may continue its electoral cooperation with Barisan Nasional (BN) in the 16th General Election (GE16) if the collaboration in the Negeri Sembilan state election (PRN) delivers positive results, PN chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar said.
Ahmad Samsuri said the coalition would assess the outcome of the partnership before deciding whether to strengthen and expand the arrangement for future elections.
"Of course, whenever we face an election, we must continuously improve ourselves. If the results we achieve in the Negeri Sembilan state election are good, we will make further improvements.
"This is important so that we can achieve even better results in the next election," he told reporters after the Perikatan Nasional (PN) Negeri Sembilan candidate announcement ceremony at the PAS operations centre in Kampung Ismail on Thursday night.
The event was attended by Parti Wawasan Negara (WAWASAN) president Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin, PAS deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, Parti Pejuang Tanah Air (PEJUANG) president Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir, GERAKAN president Datuk Dr Dominic Lau and Malaysian Indian People's Party (MIPP) president P. Punithan.
Ahmad Samsuri, who is also a PAS vice-president, said the emerging political alignment between PN and Barisan Nasional (BN) had the potential to provide greater political stability while injecting fresh momentum into Malaysia's political landscape.
He also did not rule out the possibility of PN and BN unveiling a joint manifesto for the Negeri Sembilan state election, adding that the campaign machinery of both coalitions would work together to reach as many voters as possible.
"In fact, the machinery of both coalitions will work together to engage with as many voters as possible. A new style of campaigning will be seen throughout the campaign period, but I cannot reveal it just yet.
"This is a very important step, not only for Malay voters but also for voters from all communities," he said.
Ahmad Samsuri expressed confidence that PN's combination of experienced candidates and fresh faces, drawn from diverse professional and administrative backgrounds, would inspire public confidence in the coalition.
"This will provide greater diversity when we become the government in Negeri Sembilan," he said, adding that candidate selections were decided collectively by the parties within the coalition.
Meanwhile, PAS deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man described UMNO's decision to withdraw support for the Negeri Sembilan state government as a courageous move that gave the people an opportunity to choose a new government through the state election.
He thanked UMNO assemblymen for triggering the political developments that led to the polls.
"I would like to thank UMNO for declaring its withdrawal of support in Negeri Sembilan, which has allowed the people of the state to choose their government in this election.
"It was a courageous decision because they had grown tired of Pakatan Harapan's (PH) administration and the way it managed Negeri Sembilan," he said during the PN candidate declaration ceremony.
Tuan Ibrahim said the election would mark the beginning of a new "Green Wave" in Negeri Sembilan.
He also criticised the Democratic Action Party (DAP), claiming that its repeated use of the "Green Wave" narrative to frighten Chinese voters had ultimately backfired.
"We know how DAP has tried to frighten Chinese voters, particularly by portraying the 'Green Wave' as a threat to stability and harmony.
"History has shown that the more they try to scare Chinese voters, the more those voters reject them," he said.
He added that DAP had already lost support in Sabah and Johor and predicted that the party would suffer a similar decline in the Negeri Sembilan state election, arguing that voters today have access to a wide range of information and are capable of making their own judgments without being easily influenced by what he described as baseless narratives.
On seat allocations, Tuan Ibrahim said the PN-BN partnership had completed the electoral equation after BN announced candidates for only 25 state constituencies.
"This state election is an important prelude to a new political alignment in Malaysia. BN announced candidates for 25 state constituencies, but the puzzle was incomplete, and we completed it by announcing candidates in 11 constituencies," he said. - July 17, 2026
