Kedah Umno will talk to PAS, but not PN, says division chief

Kedah Umno will begin discussions with PAS over possible political cooperation but will not negotiate with Perikatan Nasional, says a party division chief.

Merbok Umno chief Shaiful Hazizy Zainol Abidin told the Umno general assembly today this was because PN includes a party he dismissed as “the cat”, a description he attributed to Kedah menteri besar Sanusi Nor, who is also PAS’s election director.

Shaiful also described Umno and smaller parties using animal comparisons, saying Sanusi had previously described Umno as the “elephant” and the other side as the “cat”.

“Sanusi was the one who said we would not negotiate with a ‘dwarf party’. We are the elephant party, while they (the PN component) are the cat party,” he said during the debate on the president’s policy speech.

“This party is causing trouble. So Kedah Umno will not negotiate with the ‘cat party’. We will negotiate with PAS.”

Shaiful did not name the party he was referring to, but he went on to criticise elected representatives who had quit Bersatu to join Wawasan.

“Datuk Seri president, Kedah Umno wishes to express some concern about certain groups,” he said, addressing Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

“Suddenly, the elected representative for a constituency announces resignation and joins Wawasan. Kedah Umno sees this as buying insurance at the last minute.”

However, Shaiful said Kedah Umno would ultimately leave it to Zahid to decide on the party’s broader political direction.

It was previously reported that Kedah Umno chairman Mahdzir Khalid was planning to meet Sanusi to discuss possible cooperation ahead of the 16th general election.

Umno failed to win a single parliamentary seat in Kedah during the 2022 general election and was wiped out of the assembly in the state election the following year. PAS holds the lion’s share of both parliamentary and state seats in Kedah.

However, Sanusi said at PAS’s recent muktamar the party would no longer give up winnable seats to other parties in future elections.