Umno will not let past disputes derail cooperation with Pas

MELAKA: Umno has no intention of revisiting past disagreements with Pas, choosing instead to focus on political cooperation and the people's well-being, Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said.

The Umno secretary-general said past differences and contentious issues should no longer stand in the way of efforts to build mutual understanding and strengthen the spirit of cooperation between the parties.

He said both parties had agreed to put the past behind them and focus on a bigger agenda, particularly the interests of the people and the future of the state and country.

"I don't think there is much of a problem because we have reached an agreement to let bygones be bygones.

"In our efforts to work together, we must move forward," he said after delivering a speech at the Blue Wave campaign ceramah for the Pantai Kundor state constituency in Tangga Batu here on Monday night.

Also present were Perikatan Nasional secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan, BN election director for the Pantai Kundor state constituency Datuk Noor Azman Hassan and BN candidate for the seat Datuk Tuminah Kadi.

On attempts by certain quarters to revive past issues and disputes, Asyraf said such moves were not surprising and had not affected the spirit of the party leadership or its machinery.

He said attempts to rekindle memories of past political rivalries were also meaningless, as all parties were now more convinced of the importance of the cooperation being forged.

"That is why we are not surprised by attempts by others to dredge up the past. Such things are normal, but what matters is that we can see the leaders and machinery of both parties (Umno and Pas) have not been affected in the slightest.

"Bringing up all those memories of the past serves no purpose because they (the machinery) can see and are convinced that we must move forward," he said.

He said the people's interests must take precedence over attempts to revive disputes that were no longer relevant to the current political landscape.

"Moving forward, the people want this cooperation to bring prosperity to the state and country as a whole," he said.