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Gerakan president Datuk Dr Dominic Lau declared his party “ready” for the coming Negeri Sembilan state election, urging supporters to “stay confident” and “prepare fully for the fight” ahead of nomination day this Saturday.
Voters go to the polls on 1 August, with Perikatan Nasional (PN) — the coalition Gerakan belongs to — set to announce its candidate list on Thursday (16 July), a day after Barisan Nasional (BN) reveals its own lineup.
Gerakan has held zero seats in the Dewan Rakyat since 2018.
The party also failed to win a single parliamentary or state seat in the 2022 general election, leaving it without elected representation anywhere in the country heading into this election.
Once the party that governed Penang for four decades, Gerakan left Barisan Nasional (BN) after its 2018 wipeout and joined PN in 2021, where it remains a minor component party still searching for its first win under the new coalition.
“Give Us A Chance”
In his statement, Lau wrote: “Berikanlah PN satu peluang, biar kami buktikan melalui tindakan bahawa kami mampu berbuat lebih baik” — asking Negeri Sembilan voters to give PN “one chance” to prove itself through action.
He also urged voters not to let PN’s performance in the recent Johor state election shape their expectations for Negeri Sembilan, saying every state “has its own development needs” and “deserves its own choice.”
Whether this is the election where Gerakan finally breaks its egg — winning a seat for the first time since 2018 — depends on where the coalition places its candidates once seat allocations are formally announced.
Lau’s own electoral record mirrors his party’s: three attempts since 2013, three losses — including a 2023 state seat run under PN in Penang, where he polled 46.7% but still fell short.
Gerakan has been publicly sidelined by its PN ally, PAS; Lau was involved in an incident in which a local PAS leader told him to “go away” at a PN mega ceramah in Sungai Dua, Penang, ahead of the August 2023 Penang state elections.
PAS secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan later apologised to Lau, stating that he should have been treated with respect as a top leader of a coalition partner.
Political analysts and opponents often point out that Gerakan has very little leverage within the coalition, frequently forcing its leadership to swallow pride-bruising snubs to remain politically attached to the Islamist party.
READ MORE: Gerakan President’s “Turun Padang” Post Backfires Over AI Label On Photo
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