KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 30 — PAS deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man today disclosed the behind-the-scenes negotiations between Perikatan Nasional (PN) and Barisan Nasional (BN) to form a coalition Pahang government when the recent state election resulted in a hung legislature.

While the BN eventually chose to partner Pakatan Harapan (PH) to form a coalition state government — mirroring the federal government — Tuan Ibrahim said the initial discussion was for a BN-PN alliance.

"We thought this was fair because we were even with 16 and 17 seats,” he said in a statement published by PAS organ Harakah Daily this afternoon.

He was referring to the outcome of the state election that saw BN win 16 out of 42 seats in the assembly while PN snagged 17. PH bagged only eight.

One seat, Tioman, is currently unoccupied as voting has been deferred to December 7 following the sudden death of the PN candidate Yunus Ramli on November 19, just before polling opened.

Tuan Ibrahim said that as the coalition that held the slight edge, PN initially offered to form government with BN based on a 50:50 division of posts.

He denied that PN demanded seven posts in the state executive council.

He said that as BN’s Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Ismail had been Pahang mentri besar just before the election, PN was fine with him retaining the post.

He added that BN could also have the deputy state speaker of the assembly post.

Instead, he said PN suggested that the posts of deputy mentri besar and speaker should go to PN.

"Deputy mentri besar from PN while five exco from BN and five from PN.

"And the appointment of five state legislative assembly seats. Yes. Because [Wan Rosdy] holds the post of mentri besar, we suggested that PN gets three seats and BN two seats,” he added.

However, during an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the Regent of Pahang, Tuan Ibrahim said Wan Rosdy announced that his party Umno had chosen to cooperate with PH to form the state government and not PN.

Tuan Ibrahim said his reason for the disclosure was to enlighten the public about the negotiation process with Wan Rosdy and the offers PN made in a bid to unite Muslims in Pahang.

"It looks like it failed,” he said.

He added that PN is hopeful of winning Tioman on December 7 so that the coalition could take control of the state government in future.

Last Sunday, the Regent of Pahang consented to the formation of a state government by BN and PH.

In a statement, Comptroller of the Pahang Sultan’s Household Datuk Ahmad Khirrizal Ab Rahman said Tengku Mahkota Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah had also consented to appoint Wan Rosdy as mentri besar.