UMNO’S state and divisional leadership has not been given autonomy to decide on the party’s cooperation with PAS and Bersatu for the upcoming 15th general election (GE15).
UMNO secretary-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan said that instead, all quarters need to refer to the UMNO general assembly in March 2021 when it was decided that Barisan Nasional (BN) will contest GE15 on its own.
“So far, we are sticking to the decision reached at the general assembly. The decision applies to everyone, and there are no exceptions,” he was quoted as saying by Utusan Malaysia.
“The decision has not been changed (and) it is one reached at the highest level. The assembly did not mention any states getting exceptions.”
It was previously reported that Selangor UMNO was hoping for autonomy to cooperate with PAS ahead of GE15 through the Muafakat Nasional (MN) alliance.
Selangor BN chief Tan Sri Noh Omar had reportedly said that cooperation between UMNO and the Islamist party is considered good and more effective.
In May, Noh said UMNO and PAS would avoid contesting the same seats in Selangor in the upcoming general election with the hope of ousting Harapan.
With the strategy, UMNO and PAS were targeting to win at least 30 of the 56 state seats up for grabs in Selangor, the Tanjung Karang MP was reported as saying back then.
Several states including Penang had also expressed their wishes to continue cooperating with Bersatu and PAS.
When queried if UMNO is confident of winning Selangor, Melaka and Johor, Ahmad said the results of the Melaka and Johor state polls were evidence of the people’s support for BN.
“So, l hope BN will be victorious in Selangor and other states,” he remarked. – Aug 19, 2022
Main photo credit: Yahoo News Malaysia
