Melaka election - Moo-Moo No Wait No More

Tired of waiting for Umno, Muhyiddin signals go ahead for 3-cornered fights

Perikatan Nasional (PN) chief Muhyididn Yassin appears to have made a decision to go ahead with three-cornered fights in the upcoming Malacca state election.

He said his coalition can no longer wait for Umno to make a decision on cooperation.

"I say we can't wait for long. We have to make a decision. I think those on that side (Umno) have thus far not shown any indication they are ready to cooperate, negotiate, or discuss.

"As such, I say today we will make a decision. We will contest in a three-cornered fight.

"This is our stance because we must make such a decision in our efforts to strategise for the state election," said Muhyiddin as quoted by Utusan Malaysia.

He was speaking at a PN luncheon in Ayer Keroh, Malacca today. It is believed the three corners refer to PN, BN, and Pakatan Harapan.

Earlier at a press conference, the former prime minister said three-cornered fights were on the cards if they did not receive a clear signal from Umno.

Muhyiddin, who is also the Bersatu president, said at the luncheon that the coalition were unable to make a decision on seat allocations because they were waiting for Umno.

However, he said if they keep waiting, their efforts to plan for the election will remain stuck.

He said PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang agreed for PAS and Bersatu, together with Gerakan, to contest as a team in either straight or three-cornered fights during a recent meeting chaired by Bersatu deputy president Ahmad Faizal Azumu.

However, the message does not seem to have been relayed to everyone in the PAS leadership.

At a separate event in Selangor today, PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan said BN and PN were constantly in talks as they were part of the same federal government.

He also dismissed the possibility of electoral clashes between the two coalitions for now.

"There are no clashes yet. There are no clashes," he was quoted as saying by FMT.

Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi ruled out cooperation with Bersatu in Malacca.

However, there appears to be disagreement within the party on whether or not to work with PAS.

A preliminary analysis indicated Bersatu is up for a very tough challenge in the state election and could get wiped out even with support from PAS.

The Malacca election is scheduled to be held on Nov 20, with nominations on Nov 8.