Ahmad Zaharuddin Sani Ahmad Sabri of Global Asia Consulting said the idea appeared to be more of a “political lifeline” for PH, which is still struggling to regain voter support in Melaka.
He said BN was under no pressure to accept the proposal, as its previous electoral victories demonstrated it could stand on its own.
“BN has contested on its own before and won convincingly. So why should it bow to a proposal that clearly benefits PH?
“BN does not need a crutch – it has already proven the strength of its machinery and grassroots support. The proposal for appointed assemblymen only highlights PH’s weakness in failing to win over local voters.
“Why should BN share the stage with a party that is struggling to assert itself?” he told FMT.
BN currently holds 20 of the 28 seats in the Melaka state assembly, followed by PH with five and Perikatan Nasional (PN) with two. The remaining seat is held by an independent.
Yesterday, Adly said Melaka PH was open to working with BN in the state polls. He also put forward several initial proposals as a basis for discussion, including the idea of appointed assemblymen.
He said the move was to prevent contests that could undermine state stability, even as he acknowledged the political reality that each party was inclined to defend its own seats.
Zaharuddin also raised concerns about the democratic implications of the proposal.
“The appointment of assemblymen may appear to be a middle ground. But elected representatives should derive their mandate from voters, not from political negotiations.
“If BN agrees, it could be seen as trading away the mandate it previously secured just to appease PH. That is not a wise compromise, but a step backwards that could damage BN’s image,” he said.
Meanwhile, Afifi Abdul Razak of Universiti Utara Malaysia described the proposal for appointed assemblymen as a goodwill gesture in early negotiations rather than a final solution, given BN’s strong position in Melaka.
He said the allocation of appointed assemblyman posts was not the main issue complicating BN-PH cooperation in Melaka – rather, it was the presence of DAP.
“DAP remains a component of PH. Any formal and open BN-PH cooperation will remain politically challenging, even if both sides reach an informal understanding to avoid three-cornered fights that would hurt them,” he said.
He said any PH-BN cooperation in the Melaka polls would also be used as campaign fodder by PN to portray Umno as a “DAP puppet” – a narrative that proved effective in the 2022 general election.