Akmal calls for Umno-PAS cooperation in Melaka polls

 The Umno Youth chief says the party can only regain strength by reconnecting with its core Malay-Bumiputera base.

Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh said the Malay political split has weakened their influence even in areas where the community forms the majority.

PETALING JAYA:

 Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh has called for Umno and PAS to form an alliance for the Melaka state election, saying the Malay political split has weakened their influence even in areas where the community forms the majority.

Akmal, the Merlimau assemblyman, said the Melaka election should serve as a test case for political cooperation between the two largest Malay-Muslim parties, noting that Umno Youth had consistently pushed for unity from day one.

“I would rather it be Umno-PAS, even though PAS had won no seats in the last Melaka election,” he said in the latest episode of the Keluar Sekejap podcast.

“If we want Malay unity, we have to start now. We cannot just talk. We must prove it in Melaka, even if Umno has to make way for PAS (in some seats).”

Khairy Jamaluddin, who hosted the podcast, had asked Akmal if he would prefer Umno to contest alone or in partnership with another political party in the next state election.

Akmal said core Malay voters, especially those in the rural and semi-rural areas, are concerned about divisions in the community because of the presence of multiple Malay parties.

He said Umno could only regain strength by reconnecting with its core Malay-Bumiputera base, noting that votes lost by Umno were not going to Pakatan Harapan but to PAS and Perikatan Nasional.

Responding to Khairy’s question on whether Malays felt threatened, Akmal said such sentiments were more apparent outside urban centres.

“Maybe people in Kuala Lumpur don’t feel it. You can come to Melaka and see for yourselves, go to the villages,” he said.

He said calls for unity were “not about taking away the rights of others”, but about ensuring Malays “feel safe and united”.

Akmal also rejected concerns that an Umno-PAS alliance would sideline non-Malays, saying the broader Barisan Nasional framework would remain intact.

In the 2021 Melaka state election, BN won 21 of the 28 seats up for grabs, with PH winning five and PN (Bersatu) taking two. However, Umno’s Rembia assemblyman, Jailani Khamis, moved to the opposition block after he was reported to have joined PAS in 2023.

The five-year term of the state legislative assembly will end in December. - FMT