BARISAN Nasional (BN) will approach the Negeri Sembilan state election as the underdog regardless of projections pointing to a comfortable victory, Chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said, stressing that the coalition would not allow optimism to breed complacency.
The Deputy Prime Minister said maintaining an underdog mindset was a deliberate strategy to ensure BN’s leaders and campaign machinery remained disciplined, focused and respectful of voters throughout the campaign.
“We are indeed the underdog in this state election, and we do not want to give the impression that we are overly confident.
“We are only confident in what we are doing, and we are confident that we can offer the voters and people of Negeri Sembilan something different from what they have now,” he told reporters after officiating at the RISDA Central Zone Smallholders Convention 2026.
His remarks came in response to an analysis by former Bangi Member of Parliament Dr Ong Kian Ming of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), who forecast that BN could capture as many as 25 of the 36 seats in Friday’s state election.
Ahmad Zahid said such predictions would not alter BN’s campaign strategy, adding that remaining grounded was essential to ensuring every voter continued to receive attention while preventing candidates and party workers from making remarks that could alienate the electorate.
“This underdog mindset is important to remind our leaders and party machinery not to do anything outside accepted norms or make statements that are unacceptable to voters.
“That is why we are campaigning with humility and appealing to the people of Negeri Sembilan to give BN another opportunity to transform the state,” he said.
He acknowledged that incumbents traditionally benefit from greater electoral advantages, making it even more important for BN to intensify its efforts to regain public confidence and demonstrate its readiness to govern.
Highlighting the coalition’s policy agenda, Ahmad Zahid said BN’s manifesto pledges to generate 50,000 new jobs across Negeri Sembilan over the next five years while significantly expanding Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programmes.
He said strengthening TVET would equip more workers with industry-relevant skills, enhance employability and enable Malaysians to secure higher-paying, value-added jobs as part of BN’s broader economic transformation plans for the state. – July 28, 2026
