Umno eyes state seat in Permatang Pauh

 

One of the three state seats in Permatang Pauh should be given to Umno, said division chief Zaidi Said. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: An Umno grassroots leader in Penang has warned of dissatisfaction among members if the party fails to negotiate for more seats in Pakatan Harapan-led states in the upcoming state elections.

Permatang Pauh Umno chief Zaidi Said said while it was not an issue for PH and Barisan Nasional, who make up the unity government, to defend the seats they won in the 14th general election, they should not be expected to contest only those seats.

“It could give rise to dissatisfaction among Umno members and exacerbate the divisive rhetoric within the party,” he told FMT.

In GE14, BN won only two state seats in Penang – Sungai Dua and Permatang Berangan.

Zaidi Said.

Zaidi was responding to PH secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail’s statement that PH and BN would defend the seats they won in GE14.

Zaidi said three state seats were up for grabs in Permatang Pauh and one should be given to Umno to contest.

The three constituencies- Seberang Jaya, Permatang Pasir and Penanti – were previously won by PH.

Out of these three seats, Umno was only asking for one, Zaidi said.

“It would also better reflect the current spirit of the unity government (if BN was given one seat in Permatang Pauh), compared to zero seats for BN versus three for PH,” he said.

He said some 20,000 diehard BN voters in these three constituencies might not vote for PH if BN was not given a seat.

“BN supporters would be deflated and might decide to give the polls a miss or cast protest votes. It would also be difficult to mobilise the machinery if BN is not contesting,” he said.

Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara said allowing the parties to defend the seats they won in GE14 was a logical and sensible move.

However, he expected some problems would arise at the grassroots level, particularly in Umno.

“There will be some form of sabotage or boycott by the grassroots, but it would be minimal compared to the sabotage they faced during GE15 by their members because of internal turmoil,” he said.

Azmi said the results of GE14 should not be the only factor in deciding seat allocations.

The political landscape has changed since GE14 and parties need to consider the current situation when identifying seats, he said.

Kedah, Penang, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Kelantan and Terengganu are expected to dissolve their state assemblies in June to pave the way for elections. - FMT