Umno to go solo in Malacca? Decision to be made on Oct 28

 

A final decision on whether Umno will face the upcoming Malacca state polls on its own or in cooperation with other parties will be known on Oct 28.

Utusan Malaysia quoted Umno state liaison chief Ab Rauf Yusoh (above) as saying that the party's supreme council will be meeting on that day to determine the party's direction.

"Umno has yet to decide on whether to go solo or in cooperation with other parties.

"We will wait for the supreme council decision this Thursday," said the Malacca state assembly speaker.

Rauf, who is also the state BN's chief, added that the BN supreme council is expected to meet tomorrow to decide on seat distribution among its component parties.

"The issue of seat distribution at BN level will also be decided at a meeting with the parties' presidents, which I was told will be held tomorrow," he was quoted as saying after a function with former premier Najib Razak in Masjid Tanah and Londang.

Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi

Previously, Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had stressed that there will be no cooperation with Bersatu in the Malacca polls.

Zahid said this was in line with a final decision made by Umno delegates at its annual general assembly to cut ties with Bersatu.

Two Umno sources, an Umno supreme council member and a political operative close to Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, had told Malaysiakini that their party took issue with the number of Malay-majority seats PN is eyeing. 

This as preliminary discussion supposedly saw Bersatu seeking eight seats while PAS wanted to contest in five, leaving Umno with only eight of 21 Malay-majority seats. Two other Malay-majority seats have a sizeable non-Malay population and were previously contested by MCA and MIC.

There are a total of 28 seats under the Malacca state assembly. - Mkini