KUALA LUMPUR: Former Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz has not ruled out a return to the political fray for the 16th General Election (GE16).
Nazri, 72, who did not defend his Padang Rengas parliamentary seat in the previous general election, said he is ready to contest again if required by the party.
"I am still the Padang Rengas Umno division chief. We will see how it goes," he told Berita Harian.
The former law minister held the Padang Rengas seat for six terms before opting out of the GE15 race.
He concluded his tenure as the Malaysian Ambassador to the United States in February last year.
In GE15, Perikatan Nasional captured Padang Rengas, a Barisan Nasional stronghold.
PN candidate Azahari Hasan secured 12,931 votes to defeat BN's Mohd Ariff Abdul Majid (9,885) and Pakatan Harapan's Muhammad Kamil Abdul Munim (7,062).
Last year, Nazri said he had no plans for a political comeback.
Then, he said it was important to consider that he ended his career on a high, which made for an "excellent résumé".
"Do I want to spoil it? You never know what could happen. I could even lose," Nazri told the New Straits Times then.
On the possibility of Umno renewing its cooperation with Pas under Muafakat Nasional, Nazri said such a move might only be feasible after GE16.
He cautioned that a pre-election pact could permanently end Umno's chances of reclaiming seats in Kelantan, Kedah, Perlis, and Terengganu.
"Umno failed to win any seats in those four states in GE15. Cooperating with Pas before the election would mean Umno closes for good there.
"I see that cooperation can happen, but not now. In a battle, we must be smart in our strategy, he said. - NST
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