MELAKA, Nov 9 — The Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition is not encumbered by age-old scepticism and perceived racial branding compared to other political coalitions that are vying for control of Melaka, said Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) supreme council member Datuk Seri Mohd Redzuan Md Yusof.

In a press conference today, Redzuan said PN, unlike Pakatan Harapan (PH), is not straddled with the question of whether it is being controlled by DAP or merely championing the sole rights of the Bumiputera.

Instead Redzuan explained that PN, which consists of parties such as Bersatu and Gerakan can instil confidence in Malaysians from various backgrounds to effectively lead the country.

"Bersatu has changed its image from a race-based party to one that has a component wing to gain support from other races apart from the Bumiputera.

"The dynamics of politics in Bersatu have changed. It might not differ from what is being brought to the table by PH, but in PH, people still see DAP as a chauvinist, race-based party. So it is difficult to gain support from races other than the Chinese.

"Back then, even kampung folk didn’t want to see DAP, but now, we see the Chinese community, even those from DAP, wanting to cooperate with the Malays and they want to choose these sorts of leaders. That is what we want to show today in PN, with parties like Gerakan and other parties in the coalition,” he said.

Touching on the changes in Bersatu, Redzuan said the party does not champion Malay dominance, but wants the country to be led by able Malays as they represent the majority.

"We are not a rhetorical or Malay race-based party per se, but there is a need for able Malays to lead for all races because they represent the majority race,” he said.

After repeated questions from the media on a supposed special announcement today, Redzuan dismissed rumours that he supposedly wanted to leave Bersatu.

This follows remarks he made to the media, where he said that since handing over the reins to Datuk Mohd Rafiq Naizamohideen, he has minimal knowledge of the state division’s agenda.

Instead, he reiterated his full support for the party and PN today, saying he would continue to support its efforts in the state election.

In terms of the state elections, Redzuan, who is the Alor Gajah MP, said he is confident that PN stands a good chance of winning the Asahan, Machap Jaya and Rembia state seats that fall under his parliamentary constituency.

Gadek is also another state seat under Redzuan’s constituency, but the parliamentarian has acknowledged that securing the seat would be an uphill battle for PN.

For the Asahan seat, PN is fielding Danesh Basil against Fairul Nizam Roslan (BN), Datuk Seri Idris Haron (PH) and three Independents — Mohd Noor Salleh, Azmar Abdul Hamid and Mohd Akhir Ayob.

For Gadek, Mohd Amir Fitri Muharam from PN is up against, P. Shanmugam (BN), Azafen Amin (Independent), Laila Norinda Maon (Putra), Mohan Singh (Independent) and G. Saminathan (PH).

For Rembia, PN’s Zamzuri Arifin is going up against K. Murali (Independent), Zamri Pakiri (PH), Sabarudin Kudus (Independent) and Datuk Muhammad Jailani Khamis (BN).

Finally, for Machap Jaya, PN’s Tai Siong Jiul will be up against Ngwe Hee Sem (BN), Law Bing Haw (PH), Abdul Aziz Osani Kasim (Iman) and Azlan Daud (Independent).

Melaka will vote on November 20, with 28 state seats to be contested following the collapse of the previous government.