KUALA LUMPUR – After its catastrophic showing in two consecutive Malaysian state polls, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s Pakatan Harapan (PH) faces a do-or-die mission to retain control of Negeri Sembilan, where candidates are submitting their nominations on July 18. 

The coalition faces dire consequences if it fails, both in the short term and as it looks towards a general election due by early 2028.

The Democratic Action Party (DAP), the coalition’s largest component, is set to hold its annual congress just a fortnight after the Aug 1 vote, where it will decide on its future in the Anwar administration.

Coincidentally, both Anwar’s Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) as well as the Prime Minister’s uneasy ally UMNO – whose Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition is seeking to wrest back Negeri Sembilan – also go into their annual assemblies the same weekend.

Hence, while the central state is home to just 900,000 voters – a third of the 2.7 million in Johor, which overwhelmingly backed BN to continue running the state on July 11 – the result will have a knock-on effect on how the three largest ruling parties decide to navigate a maximum last 18 months before national polls.

The DAP’s internal referendum was sparked after PH was trounced at November’s Sabah state election, winning just one of 22 seats contested, with DAP failing to defe...