Puad dismisses Hamzah’s rationale for BN-PN cooperation at Melaka polls

 

Puad Zakarshi says working together to run a country is different from joining forces during an election.

PETALING JAYA: An Umno leader has scoffed at Hamzah Zainudin’s rationale that cooperation between Perikatan Nasional (PN) and Barisan Nasional (BN) could work at the Melaka state election because such an alliance succeeded at the federal level.

Puad Zakarshi said such a justification was “too weak”.

“Working together to run a country is different from joining forces during an election,” the Umno Supreme Council member told FMT.

And the Sabah state election was proof of this, he said.

Puad said Umno had worked with PN in the Sabah polls but it was sabotaged by those who sponsored independent candidates.

He also said that no party was willing to welcome the four assemblymen who had a hand in the collapse of the Melaka state government.

“So, it is not impossible for certain quarters to sponsor these four to split votes. That was what happened in Sabah,” he said, referring to Idris Haron, Norhizam Hassan Baktee, Noor Effandi Ahmad and Nor Azman Hassan.

Idris and Nor Azman have since been sacked from Umno, while Bersatu gave Noor Effandi the boot after they, along with Norhizam, retracted support for Sulaiman Md Ali as the Melaka chief minister.

Hamzah, who is the PN secretary-general, had touched on the cooperation among the two coalitions at the federal level when dismissing any schism between them in Melaka.

“If we can work together across the country, then there is no problem of disunity,” he was quoted as saying.

Puad also dismissed Hamzah’s claim that PN would announce a new political alliance with Umno and BN for the Melaka polls in the near future.

He said Hamzah’s statement was likely based on discussions with a few pro-PN individuals from Umno.

“It isn’t a formal discussion that is recognised by the Supreme Council. Umno will make a collective decision and not be influenced by any individual.”

Puad reiterated that Umno had in its last general assembly decided against working with Bersatu in the 15th general election.

And while the state polls were a different matter, the party’s grassroots was adamant in rejecting any form of cooperation with the splinter party, he said.

Umno, he said, could still consider working with PAS even though the Islamist party had failed to win any seats in Melaka in the 14th general election.

Puad said the Umno-PAS combination in several by-elections, such as in Semenyih, Rantau and Tanjung Piai, had “borne fruit”, alluding to BN’s win in these three constituencies.

“There is no point working with Bersatu to avoid multi-cornered fights, as its machinery has not done anything and they are suspicious of each other.” - FMT