KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 6 ― Barisan Nasional (BN) will be going alone into the upcoming Melaka state elections without any allies and will place candidates for all 28 state seats up for grabs there, the coalition’s deputy chairman Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan announced today.

Mohamad, who is also BN’s election director for the Melaka state polls to be held on November 20, stressed that the coalition would not ally itself with any other parties in the elections.

"BN will go alone, will not go with any parties, and we will use our own logo as a party that symbolises and represents the diversity of the multiracial society in our country.

"So I wish to inform that BN will go alone, I repeat, there are no more questions of whether we want to be with anyone. In relation to that, BN will place 28 candidates in 28 state constituencies in the Melaka state election,” he said in an event to announce BN’s candidates that was streamed live on Facebook.

He said that the list of BN’s 28 candidates was a consensus arrived at after discussions between the coalition parties, with Umno to deploy 20, MCA to place seven and MIC to have one candidate.

He said BN’s theme for the Melaka state elections is "Stability for Prosperity”.

"Stability is needed, we need a stable government after the elections in order for the public’s interest to be given priority. So stability is important, the public and voters should think and give their trust to the party that can give stability to Melaka after the election,” he said.

He also said BN was committed to ensure stability by having all the coalition’s 28 candidates sign agreements to not engage in party-hopping after being elected.

"In line with the theme of stability, for the first time and as a result of BN’s commitment to ensure political stability is achieved so that the people’s prosperity would not be jeopardised by political games that are without dignity, without morals, all BN candidates that contest in this state election this time will have to sign agreements to not party hop and will have legal actions taken according to the terms of the agreement,” he said.

He explained that there would be two or three agreements covering all legal aspects that the BN candidates would have to sign, since motions against party hopping in either Parliament or the state assembly cannot be brought for now.

"I hope this commitment can give confidence to the people to see us as a party that is truly committed to ensuring stability can be achieved for the prosperity of Melaka,” he added, later also describing the agreements to be signed by the BN candidates as containing "contractual obligations” to the party and to act as a "deterrent” against party hopping.

In Malaysia, elected representatives who switch party allegiances after elections have often caused state governments or even federal governments to collapse and often trigger fresh elections, particularly when the ruling government only has a slim majority.

The upcoming Melaka state elections was itself caused by four state assemblymen withdrawing their support on October 3 from Umno’s Datuk Seri Sulaiman Md Ali who was the Melaka chief minister.