BN should decide fast on cooperating with PN in Malacca polls: Azmin

 

Perikatan Nasional (PN) has never shut its doors to negotiations with BN and the latter should quickly decide whether it wants to cooperate with PN in the Malacca election, said PN election director Azmin Ali.

He said BN should decide fast to ensure that the election machinery could make more effective preparations at the grassroots level.

“(PN components) Bersatu, PAS and Gerakan have reached the stage of facing nomination day but Umno has yet to make the final decision. We hope a decision can be made early and not at the last minute,” he said in Alor Gajah today.

Azmin told reporters this after attending a meeting with the Masjid Tanah PN machinery.

The PN information chief and Bersatu supreme council member claimed that he had received information that certain Umno leaders and grassroots members were keen to cooperate with PN.

“But this is an internal problem of Umno which we should not interfere. 

"Umno needs to make a final decision on whether it wants to cooperate or not, and let the people judge which party is rejecting unity and which one is for establishing cooperation for the sake of stability in the state and country,” Azmin added.

Earlier, Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the party was sticking to its decision to not cooperate with Bersatu in any elections.

When asked if Umno would rule out cooperating with PN in the coming Malacca polls, Zahid merely said, "I do not see in that direction."

'Not too late'

Umno secretary-general Ahmad Maslan, however, said it is still not too late for Umno to establish cooperation with any party for the state election.

The Umno supreme council will make a final decision on this at a meeting to be held on Thursday, he told reporters after inspecting preparations at the BN operations room for the Bukit Terendak polling district centre in Sungai Udang today.

The Election Commission has set Nov 8 for polling, Nov 16 for early voting and Nov 20 for polling in the state election.

The Malacca election was called following the dissolution of the state legislative assembly on Oct 4 after four representatives withdrew their support for then chief minister Sulaiman Md Ali.

The four former assemblypersons are Idris Haron (BN-Sungai Udang), Nor Azman Hassan (BN-Pantai Kundor), Norhizam Hassan Baktee (Independent-Pengkalan Batu) and Noor Effandi Ahmad (Bersatu-Telok Mas).

- Bernama