PETALING JAYA: Melaka Amanah chief Ashraf Mukhlis Minghat has urged Barisan Nasional (BN) to keep an open heart and mind when holding seat negotiations with Pakatan Harapan (PH) for the next state election.
Ashraf said certain allies in BN had responded arrogantly to proposals for the 28 seats to be split evenly between PH and BN, in a swipe at Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh.
He argued that PH deserved a greater share of seats to contest despite currently holding just five compared with BN’s 20, as the results of the 2022 general election showed that PH had performed better.
“The distinct difference between the outcomes of the state and general elections should motivate Melaka PH and Melaka BN to leverage each other’s strengths instead of being proud about the current situation.
“In my view, discussions on seat distribution for the state election should be received with open minds and discussed carefully. Everyone should be free to make proposals.
“The main Melaka BN leaders should be more magnanimous and should not reject proposals from the outset without allowing room for discussions,” he said in a statement.
Ashraf said the unity government was built on concessions, noting that Amanah had made way for BN to contest the Lenggeng seat in Negeri Sembilan during the 2023 state election, even though the seat was previously won by Amanah.
Yesterday, Akmal rejected a grassroots proposal from nine Melaka DAP branches for PH and BN to contest 14 seats each in the upcoming state election, telling DAP to “dream on”.
However, he misinterpreted a China Press report as saying that the proposal was made by nine DAP divisions rather than branches.
Melaka DAP publicity secretary Kerk Chee Yee clarified that this was merely a grassroots proposal by branches, and that the state chapter had yet to discuss the matter.
