The Merlimau assemblyman and Melaka executive councillor said incumbent parties should defend the seats they won in the previous state election.

He was responding to Melaka PKR chief Shamsul Iskandar Akin’s call for PH and BN to discuss their strategy for the election, which is due next year, as soon as the Sabah state election is over.

“There’s no need to overthink it. The seats BN won remain with BN. There should only be discussions about two seats (Bemban and Sungai Udang),” Akmal said.

“If there’s no agreement, then we (will both) contest (the two seats).

“The last Melaka state election in November 2021 was also a three-cornered fight even though the federal government was aligned at the time,” he said referring to the then government in which BN and PN were partners, along with coalitions from Sabah and Sarawak.

Akmal said that if BN and PH were to contest against each other, the party that wins the most seats would have the right to form the government and decide the chief minister.

“If PH wins the majority, they deserve to have the chief minister,” he said.

There are 28 seats in the Melaka state assembly. In the 2021 state election, BN secured 21 seats, PH five, and PN two.