Tiada jaminan kejayaan PRN bererti menang PRU, kata Zahid

Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Zahid Hamidi has urged the coalition to not be too quick to celebrate their recent wins in the PRN elections in Johor and Negeri Sembilan, warning that victory does not guarantee similar results in the upcoming general election. Zahid emphasized that political parties can no longer rely on voters to always be loyal, as they may choose differently based on candidates, government performance, local issues, economic conditions, and the party's ability to offer solutions.

He noted this particularly among younger voters who had previously not supported BN, but are now returning to the party in many constituencies. However, it remains uncertain whether these younger voters will remain a steadfast base for any political party. Therefore, BN cannot simply ask the young generation to understand their struggles; they must provide a reason for them to believe in a better future that their party is building.

The same applies to Malay voters. Zahid cautioned against hastily declaring that these groups have fully returned to Umno or BN, as they might give the party another chance, and trust could be lost if BN fails, becomes weak, or takes the easy way out. The same could be said about Chinese and Indian voters, reminding the coalition not to hastily assume they have left Pakatan Harapan and returned to BN in large numbers.

Thus, BN's task after winning in Johor and Negeri Sembilan is not just to maintain momentum, but to understand and capitalize on the momentum. This understanding will help the coalition avoid repeating past mistakes when a larger election comes. BN won 48 out of 56 seats in Johor, while their rivals with PN secured 25 out of 36 seats in Negeri Sembilan.

Prior to this, the Ilham Centre had stated that the "Blue Wave" could potentially wash 122 parliamentary seats across the Peninsula and bring relevant seats into the BN-Perikatan Nasional bloc in the lead-up to the upcoming general election.