PH will grant Umno some village posts, says analyst

 

Azmi Hassan believes Umno can influence policies that affect Malay rights and Islam, while Oh Ei Sun says the party can stem the opposition ‘green wave’.

PETALING JAYA: An analyst believes Pakatan Harapan (PH) will grant Umno some positions in Selangor village development and security committees, out of a need to woo rural Malay voters.

However, Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara said PH is unlikely to meet Umno’s full demands, to protect the interest of component parties in the Selangor government.

“Pakatan Harapan needs to create an atmosphere where Umno is influential in the state, by giving them the village posts,” Azmi told FMT. “These positions are critical because they deal directly with the people on the ground, and Umno wants to deal directly with Malay voters.”

Azmi said PH should offer Umno some seats on local councils as well, so that the party can demonstrate its influence on policies to do with Islam and Malay rights.

If PH does not entertain Umno’s requests, the party would be seen as being unable to protect Malay rights. “Hence, it will be a disadvantage for the state government.”

Another analyst, Oh Ei Sun of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, expects a compromise to be struck as otherwise PH would struggle to secure the crucial Malay vote without Umno’s support.

He said the quid pro quo arrangement would not disrupt their partnership. Instead, it would help clarify the distribution of political appointments between PH and Umno.

“PH gets the councillors’ posts while Umno gets the village posts, which are almost as powerful and visible to the villagers. In principle, this arrangement should not upset their collaboration,” said Oh.

He said Umno can still play a positive role in ensuring that the state does not succumb to the so-called opposition “green wave” in the future.

A week ago, Selangor Umno returned 20 local council posts to PH, but denied it had done so as a form of protest. Selangor Umno chief Megat Zulkarnain Omardin said the party intends to focus on rural areas, which are primarily dominated by Perikatan Nasional (PN).

On Thursday, he said Selangor Umno and Selangor PH remain on good terms, despite a disagreement over local council seats. Megat said he would meet with Selangor PH chairman Amirudin Shari to discuss Barisan Nasional’s position in the state. - FMT