Why N Sembilan election highlights Malaysia's political immaturity

Why N Sembilan election highlights Malaysia's political immaturity

Zikri Kamarulzaman
Published: Jul 21, 2026 12:10 PM
Updated: 2:56 PM


N SEMBILAN POLLS | The Negeri Sembilan election could have been another step forward in Malaysia becoming a mature democracy.

In advanced countries like Germany, Canada, and Australia, it's considered normal for parties to have different partners at the regional and federal levels.

Thus, BN's decision to partner with Perikatan Nasional in Negeri Sembilan against its federal government partner Pakatan Harapan should have been another step in that direction.

However, it's evident from how politicians and their supporters are reacting to the new realignments that this is not the case.

Harapan Youth is calling for BN ministers and deputy ministers to quit, while BN leaders are pressuring Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to call for a snap election.

BN is also actively plotting to take their partnership with PN for the next general election.

True political maturity is…

For Sunway University political scientist Wong Chin Huat, there was one major factor to consider on whether the BN-PN partnership was a sign of growing political maturity.

"It's legitimate for parties to have different partners at different levels of elections and governments. Fluidity is a good thing.

"But true political maturity would see competition based on policies, not mobilisation based on ethnicity or religion," he told Malaysiakini.

BN and PAS-led PN have made it clear that their partnership is grounded in a Malay unity agenda.

For BN, it's aimed both at survival and regaining the ground it lost in the past two decades to become the main political force in the country once again.

Wong Chin Huat


This, however, comes at the expense of Harapan - which stands to lose at least 31 seats should it face a united BN and PN in straight fights in the next general election.

Wong, however, said that the BN-PN partnership might unravel if they fail to capture any Harapan seats.

"If Harapan holds its forts - say by and large retaining its 17 seats - despite losing state power, this temporary deal between Umno and PAS would become unsustainable because BN cannot be guaranteed a plurality of 70 Parliament seats by just attacking Harapan, and PAS would not give some winnable seats to make BN its boss," he added.


‘Malaysians not ready’

At least 19 seats are needed to form government in Negeri Sembilan. BN and PN can achieve that without flipping any Harapan seats.

The prospect of Harapan losing power is likely why its politicians and their supporters are reacting adversely to the BN-PN tie-up.


READ MORE: KINIGUIDE | Shifting alliances as battle royale for Negeri Sembilan begins


For International Islamic University Malaysia political scientist Syaza Shukri, the negative reaction from Harapan supporters indicates that the public is not yet ready for the country to complete the transition into becoming a mature democracy.

Syaza Shukri


"I think Malaysians may not be ready and might even be confused with the arrangements. We are so used to so many decades of 'stable coalitions', so this is new for them.

"They prefer a straightforward environment of who is in government and who is in opposition.

“I believe our political education is not enough for people to understand that politics is just a way to form government, but it’s not an end-all, be-all situation," she said when contacted.