Hubungan lama Azmin-Amirudin boleh mudahkan kerjasama PH-Bersatu Selangor

Selangor's longstanding relationship between former Deputy Chief Minister Azmin Ali and Selangor Chief Minister Amirudin Shari could facilitate cooperation between the state government and the Pakatan Harapan (PH) party, according to political analyst Mazlan Ali. The close connection between the two leaders since their time together in the People's Justice Party (PKR) could help launch a new phase of cooperation in Selangor politics, Mazlan told FMT.

The negotiations over the terms of the agreement are ongoing and the hope is that approval will be reached before the release of the Selangor 2027 budget in the coming month. Pakatan Harapan vice-president and PH's election strategy director, who is also organizing the election strategy, stated that there is no special request for anything during the negotiations.

However, Permatang Nurul Syazwani Noh, a Permatang Nurul Syazwani Noh representative, claims that she was not informed about the negotiations, which are said to have reached the stage of finalizing the terms of the agreement. Currently, PH holds 32 of Selangor's 56 parliamentary seats, while the Barisan Nasional (BN) holds two. Both parties formed the state government after the 2023 PRN.

Meanwhile, the opposition, which controls 21 seats, is split between Bersatu (11) and PAS (10), with one independent supporting the state government. Notably, Azmin and Amirudin once formed a close friendship within PKR, with Amirudin serving as an exco member when Azmin became the state chief minister. Amirudin then succeeded Azmin as the state chief minister in June 2018 following the latter's elevation to the federal Economy Ministry.

Their political relationship changed after Azmin was expelled from PKR and joined Bersatu in 2020 during the Sheraton Step, which saw the PH 1.0 government falter. Their personal relationship, however, is still seen as good, even when Azmin called Amirudin an "associate" during a Selangor DUN debate last August. According to Mazlan, the position of Bersatu in Selangor makes this cooperation significant, especially if the party's members support the state government in budget matters.

He also views this as a PH strategy as their ties with PAS become more distant. According to Syaza Shukri, a researcher from Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia (UIAM), PH-Bersatu cooperation in Selangor is brighter than in Melaka, considering the relationship between leaders and the position of Bersatu in the state. She believes this early-stage cooperation could resemble a memorandum of understanding (MoU) or a confidence and capability agreement (CSA), helping to ensure the stability of Amirudin's government.

She also sees this development as a first step for PH and Bersatu to tackle potential challenges from BN-PAS in upcoming elections, potentially leading to broader political cooperation at the national level. If there are no major obstacles, this cooperation could develop into political cooperation leading up to the next general election.