KUANTAN: In a twist of events, Perikatan Nasional has entered into discussions with Barisan Nasional to form the new Pahang state government.
State PN chairman Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah, who yesterday announced that PN had picked Pas deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man to spearhead discussions, today wrote on Facebook that negotiations have already begun.
"In connection with the formation of the Pahang government, the PN supreme council's representative Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man has held discussions with Pahang BN chairman Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail.
"Further talks will be held today," he wrote on his Facebook page this morning.
Yesterday, talk was rife that BN were discussing with Pakatan Harapan (PH) to form the new Pahang government and state DAP chairman Leong Ngah Ngah said the party has no issues working with BN, though he left it to the PH leadership to decide.
It remains unclear if Pahang BN were holding talks with both PH and BN before deciding on the 'suitable' pact to form the state government.
Yesterday, Saifuddin, in a statement said PN will continue talks to form the Pahang government as soon as possible but did not specify whom the coalition were discussing with.
PN produced a major upset in the 15th general election after securing 17 seats compared to only eight in the previous general election.
BN won 16 seats while PH secured eight seats, and no party managed to obtain a simple majority of 21 seats to form the Pahang government, which resulted in a hung state assembly.
Tuan Ibrahim, who won the Cheka state seat in Pahang and the Kubang Kerian parliamentary seat in Kelantan in GE15, has been rumoured to be the potential Pahang menteri besar under PN despite talks that he might opt for a position at Federal level if PN forms the government.
The Pahang assembly has 42 seats, though only 41 were contested in the state election run simultaneously with GE15 on Nov 19, following the death of PN candidate Md Yunus Ramli on Saturday. The election has been set for Dec 7.