KRUBONG, Oct 25 – Pakatan Harapan (HARAPAN) is confident it can regain control of the Melaka state government in the upcoming state election, citing its previous electoral victories as evidence that voter support can shift.
HARAPAN election director Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari said the coalition's success in forming the state government in 2018 and securing a majority of Melaka's parliamentary seats in the 15th General Election (GE15) in 2022 demonstrated that the state's political landscape was not fixed.
He said the perception that Melaka remained a Barisan Nasional (BN) stronghold did not necessarily reflect voters' decisions.
"People used to say that Melaka would never change, that no matter what was said, they would still vote for Barisan Nasional. These were the words spoken before.
"After 2018, the people of Melaka showed their wisdom in the 2018 general election when we elevated Adly Zahari as Melaka Chief Minister… Alhamdulillah, no bad news was reported.
"In the 2022 general election, the people of Melaka made an even more extreme decision.
”HARAPAN won the majority of parliamentary seats, which is why HARAPAN is coming this time with greater hopes," he said when speaking at the HARAPAN Candidate Announcement Ceremony and Melaka State Election Machinery Launch at Hang Jebat Stadium yesterday.
Reflecting on the coalition's administration in 2018, Amirudin said political instability and power struggles had disrupted its efforts to govern Melaka.
However, he stressed that HARAPAN remained committed to implementing development initiatives and policies to benefit residents if given another mandate.
Amirudin, who is also the Selangor Menteri Besar, highlighted education initiatives introduced in Selangor as examples of policies that could potentially be extended to Melaka.
"In Budget 2026, we funded 4,000 people in Selangor, students at universities owned by the state government. These students receive 50 per cent free sponsorship from the state government.
"If HARAPAN can do this at the federal level or in my state, I believe we can do the same in Melaka," he said.
He also urged Melaka voters to repeat the support given to HARAPAN during GE15, saying a comfortable mandate would allow the coalition to carry out its development plans.
"Take the spirit of 2022, which gave a clear vote to HARAPAN, so that we can win with a comfortable majority.
"Despite political turbulence, our government has proven capable of stabilising the country and its people, and the economic position is in a much better place," he said.
