BERSATU president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has described the political arrangements surrounding the Negeri Sembilan state election as “strange, confused and chaotic”, claiming the shifting alliances have left voters uncertain.
The former prime minister said Barisan Nasional’s (BN) decision to cooperate with Perikatan Nasional (PN), despite both being aligned against each other at the federal level, had created an unusual political landscape.
Muhyiddin, who is also Pagoh Member of Parliament, said PN had similarly sidelined Bersatu, forcing the party to contest independently in the election.
"It has become a strange political arrangement because they are contesting against each other. For Bersatu, it is fine because our rights were denied.
"The history between PAS and UMNO has been long. If you look at their record, they have gone through periods of being together, separating and fighting with each other. This is similar to what happened in Johor.
"That is why we cannot continue with PN because they are in chaos," he said in an interview with BH.
Muhyiddin also criticised Wawasan, a PN component party, claiming it had betrayed Bersatu after several of its leaders faced disciplinary action.
"So, BN-PN is a strange coalition. PH, meanwhile, is in the federal government with BN but is moving separately in Negeri Sembilan," he said.
The 16th Negeri Sembilan state election will see Pakatan Harapan (PH) contesting all 36 state assembly seats, while BN will contest 25 seats and PN 11 seats.
Bersatu is contesting 24 seats, with several constituencies seeing clashes between the party and other PN-linked candidates.
Muhyiddin said he believed the BN-PN cooperation, which he described as a “marriage of convenience”, would not survive in the long term based on previous political developments.
He claimed the unusual political arrangement could confuse voters and ultimately benefit BERSATU.
"Where is the direction? BERSATU is clear. But on the other side, they will eventually get what they want. After that, who knows what they will do.
"Even now there are statements until the Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) has warned Cabinet ministers to resign if they criticise the Unity Government while campaigning in the state election," he said.
Muhyiddin added that remarks from BN leaders suggesting they were prepared to form the state government had further complicated the political situation.
"There are also statements from BN leaders saying they are ready to form the government and so on.
"So, in simple terms, everything is chaotic. The people on the ground are confused.
"When they are confused, they do not know how to make a decision. In the situation in Negeri Sembilan, the coalition arrangements are unclear. That is why we are entering the contest to provide a clear choice," he said.
Muhyiddin rejected claims that Bersatu was merely disrupting the election, saying the party, which is 10 years old, has leaders with experience serving as prime minister, Cabinet ministers and even menteri besar.
He said Bersatu had the capability to form the Negeri Sembilan government, citing the administrative experience of its senior leaders.
"We are not coming in just for people to say we are disrupting the election. This is not about causing trouble.
"Can we not govern Negeri Sembilan? It is not impossible. Among Bersatu figures are leaders who have experience governing a state," he said. - July 24, 2026
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