COMMENT | Malays in Negeri Sembilan – in their diversity of backgrounds and cultural practice of adat perpatih – comprise 57 percent of the Negeri Sembilan electorate. 

Of the 36 seats, 23 comprise a Malay majority, with 11 of these having more than three-quarters Malay voters.

A big Malay swing such as occurred in Johor polls last month, nearly 40 percent to BN, will be decisive in determining who will govern the state.

In Negeri Sembilan, how that swing will be distributed among the different coalitions and across seats will be crucial.

With the non-contest agreement between BN and Perikatan Nasional impacting seat candidacy and seen to strengthen both coalitions in the Malay ground through vote transferability, the focus has been on positioning these two coalitions to the disadvantage of Pakatan Harapan.

The situation is more...