The Negeri Sembilan state election campaign is under way. Following nomination day, Barisan Nasional (BN) is not contesting all 36 state seats. Instead, it has left 11 seats to Perikatan Nasional (PN), which is dominated by the Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), and Parti Wawasan Negara, led by Hamzah Zainudin. Three of those 11 seats — Lobak, Mambau and Lukut — are traditionally associated with the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA).
These three traditional MCA seats have among the highest proportions of Chinese voters in Negeri Sembilan. In Lobak, Chinese voters account for as much as 71.41%, the highest proportion in the state. Mambau follows at 58.67%, with Lukut at 47.85%. By giving up these seats, MCA has undoubtedly sacrificed its influence in Negeri Sembilan to provide bargaining chips for negotiations over co-operation between the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) and PAS.
The question is: is such a sacrifice worthwhile? Let us look at whom PN has fielded in these three constituencies.