KUALA LUMPUR: The dissolution of the Negeri Sembilan state legislative assembly on Friday (Jun 5) - which had been led by a chief minister from Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) - is a “tit-for-tat” response to an earlier move by the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition in Johor, say analysts.They add that the snap polls in Negeri Sembilan would be used by Anwar and his Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition as a bellwether to gauge voter sentiment and chart the coalition’s path forward. Even so, observers say that PH’s move in Negeri Sembilan is a “calculated effort” to preempt any political momentum BN might gain in Johor’s state election, where the latter has signaled its intent to contest independently and is widely expected to secure a decisive victory. Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid, a political science professor at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) told CNA that the PH leadership and Anwar were largely caught off guard by BN’s manoeuvres in Johor."By acting now, the PH (leadership) is attempting to balance the political narrative and timing. After the developments in Johor, PH wants to demonstrate that it cannot be bullied by an opposing side that is ostensibly a coalition partner at the federal level,” he said.
Negeri Sembilan election: Move to dissolve state assembly Anwar's ‘tit-for-tat’ response to Johor snap polls
Observers told CNA that the move by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's Pakatan Harapan in Negeri Sembilan is a “calculated effort” to preempt any political momentum the Barisan Nasional coalition might gain in Johor’s upcoming state election.
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