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PETALING JAYA: An Umno leader has dismissed an expert opinion that his party can gain more by collaborating with Pakatan Harapan (PH), saying Malaysian voters would abandon Umno if the association materializes.
Umno Supreme Council member Mohd Razlan Rafii said his party needed to consider the interests of his race and nation, not just political achievements.
He said Malaysians were getting comfortable with the partnership between Umno and PAS through Muafakat Nasional (MN), and that the party would lose its support if it decided to work with PH, of which DAP is a component party.
“When we ‘resurfaced’ after GE14 (the 2018 polls), people saw the struggle to defend the Malay people and Islam as the point of convergence between PAS and Umno. In fact, it terrorized the PH government at the time.
“The value of this ‘resurrection’ cannot be bought. It came because people observed that we were sincere in our struggle. Will this continue if Umno works with DAP? Malaysians who support Barisan Nasional (BN) will flee.
“We need to think carefully and consider the general situation, the pros and cons in terms of politics, race and most importantly the nation,” he told FMT.
Razlan was commenting on a statement by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia analyst Mohammad Agus Yusoff that Umno will benefit the most from working with PH, including obtaining the highest positions in government.
Agus had also said that Umno’s “No Anwar, No DAP” slogan, often touted by certain leaders, was not the best political model for the party and “would get it nowhere.”
“Umno and PAS only have small positions (in the government of Perikatan Nasional). But, with PH, Umno would get the highest positions, ”he said.
While leaders like Annuar Musa have argued that “No Anwar, No DAP” is Umno’s position, other members of the Supreme Council such as Mohd Puad Zarkashi and Tajuddin Abdul Rahman are of the opinion that this policy should not be too rigid.
