Bersatu Fighting For Survival In Negeri Sembilan As Party Seeks To Prove Its Relevance

With eight clashes against its own former PN allies, analysts say Bersatu is contesting not to win big—but to prove it still matters.

In Brief

Bersatu is fighting for survival in Negeri Sembilan, contesting 24 seats largely alone after being sidelined by the BN-PN alliance.
Analysts doubt Bersatu can win seats, with its Johor performance suggesting another disappointing outing is likely.

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Alienated and increasingly sidelined, Bersatu appears to have little place in the newly forged Barisan Nasional (BN)-Perikatan Nasional (PN) alliance in Negeri Sembilan.

Yet, instead of stepping aside, the party has chosen to fight.

By fielding candidates against its former PN allies PAS and Parti Wawasan Negara (Wawasan) in eight constituencies, Bersatu is signalling it is not ready to concede defeat—even if the odds appear stacked against it.

International Islamic University Malaysia political analyst and ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute fellow Dr Syaza Shukri said Bersatu is well aware that it is largely on its own following the political realignment.

Syaza believes Bersatu is fighting for relevance more than any other party in the Negeri Sembilan state election.

“I think Bersatu realises it is now alone. But if you ask why they’re competing against PAS and Wawasan, it’s because they know they’re competing for the same Malay voter base.

“And some of these are marginal seats, such as Ampangan and Klawang, so I guess Bersatu feels it still has a fighting chance.”

Both Ampangan and Klawang were won by Pakatan Harapan (PH) in the 2023 Negeri Sembilan election, albeit with razor-thin majorities of 329 and 577 votes respectively.

For this election, BN is contesting 25 seats, while its partner PN is fielding candidates in 11. PH is defending all 36 state seats.

Bersatu, contesting under its own logo, is fielding 24 candidates, including eight direct contests against PAS and Wawasan. These seats include: Serting, Ampangan, Paroi, Bagan Pinang, Klawang, Sikamat, Mambau, and Gemas.

Despite its uncertain prospects, Syaza believes Bersatu could still become relevant after polling day—but only if BN-PN falls short of securing a simple majority.

“If Bersatu wins one or two seats, it could become relevant if BN-PN needs additional numbers to form the government.

“But honestly, I doubt it. One or two seats would be insignificant compared to BN-PN’s combined strength and its chances of securing a simple majority.”

She said Bersatu’s immediate priority is no longer about denying PH victories but proving it can still command electoral support – especially from the Malay community which heavily backs the Bersatu-led PN previously.

“Whatever the outcome, Bersatu needs to show it can still attract votes by winning a few seats—not merely acting as a spoiler against PH—if it wants BN-PN to continue taking it seriously.”

Syaza also believes there is little appetite for Bersatu to rebuild its relationship with PAS and Wawasan, nor for those parties to revive ties with Bersatu, following their decision to align themselves with Umno through the new political cooperation.

Syaza also said that she expects Bersatu to suffer another disappointing outing, similar to its poor showing in the recent Johor state election – contesting 16 without winning any seat.

“Looking at Johor, especially Bukit Kepong where I thought Bersatu had its best chance, they still lost to BN by about 10,000 votes.

She was refering to former menteri besar and Johor Bersatu chief Datuk Dr Sahruddin Jamal who failed to defend his Bukit Kepong seat – one of the state seat inside Pagoh, where Bersatu President Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is the current MP.

“In Negeri Sembilan, where Bersatu has an even weaker presence, I struggle to see where it can win. Labu is probably its best opportunity, but even there BN is putting significant effort into reclaiming the seat.”

Labu remains Bersatu’s strongest foothold in the state. Negeri Sembilan Bersatu chief and former PN state chairman Mohamad Hanifah Abu Baker won the seat in 2023 with a 1,640-vote majority and is seeking re-election this time.

He faces a three-cornered contest against Datuk Ahmad Faez Abdul Razak of PH and Siti Nur Umaira Hasim representing BN.

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