Umno members still wary about DAP, says BN candidate

 

BN’s Tanjong Dawai candidate Shaiful Hazizy Zainol Abidin said BN-PH’s cooperation cannot be deemed a failure even if they lose Kedah on Aug 12. (Facebook pic)

MERBOK: A Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate in Kedah admits that there is still significant uneasiness among grassroots over the coalition’s partnership with Pakatan Harapan (PH), especially due to DAP.

Tanjong Dawai candidate Shaiful Hazizy Zainol Abidin said Umno members seemed to be “haunted” and were still wary about giving DAP their support by voting for PH candidates in the Aug 12 state elections.

“We have to admit that we’re still being haunted by UmDAP (a moniker constructed by Perikatan Nasional supporters). But when it’s time to face our opposition, although we might feel uncomfortable, we need to put the party’s interests above our own.

“We’re only eight months into this partnership (with PH). To me, this is a test and it is still too early to evaluate this partnership,” the Kedah Umno information chief said in an interview with FMT.

Shaiful said BN-PH’s cooperation cannot be deemed a failure even if they lose Kedah on Aug 12, adding that both coalitions must be given time to find their footing in this partnership having been longtime enemies prior to this.

“We want to find similarities in our political ideologies, which will take time. We must have our own stand because we’ve been rivals with DAP for so long.

“But we must also be tolerant and forgiving. Or else, we cannot move forward. Like for myself, I have already forgiven (DAP).”

Shaiful is in a straight fight with PN’s Hanif Ghazali in Tanjong Dawai, a seat which has changed hands between BN and PAS several times now.

Hanif, of PAS, won the seat with a slim 952-vote majority in the 14th general election (GE14) in 2018, beating PH’s Annuar Abdul Hamid and BN’s Annuar Ahmad. - FMT