ANY effort to unite UMNO and PAS must be holistic, encompassing the empowerment of the Malay community, Islam, the Malay Rulers, as well as economic and educational agendas, according to UMNO Supreme Council member Datuk Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi.
He said a political alliance formed merely to win elections risks becoming temporary and unsustainable, expressing scepticism about whether past political coalitions had genuinely succeeded in uniting the Malay community.
Mohd Puad said the more appropriate approach would be cooperation through Muafakat Nasional as a platform for broad-based discussion and consensus-building, rather than a narrow electoral arrangement.
“It should not be limited to seat allocations such as ‘you (PAS) contest here, we (UMNO) contest there’. We do not want some people to view this so-called Malay tsunami purely in the context of winning elections. It must be more than that.
“But if it is under the name of a political coalition, I worry it will only be temporary. The proposal by the UMNO Youth chief is actually good, but we also want to see what PAS’ position is.
“Otherwise, people will say UMNO is clapping with one hand or accuse us of being overzealous without reciprocation. So this matter must be thought through comprehensively, including its motives, or else it will only be temporary,” he said.
Mohd Puad was commenting on a proposal put forward by UMNO Youth chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh during an appearance on the Omar Puad Podcast on Saturday. Sinar Harian reported that Dr Akmal had expressed his desire for UMNO and PAS to unite in order to forge broader Malay unity.
Speaking earlier at the UMNO Youth Special Convention at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur, Dr Akmal also urged that a resolution be adopted for UMNO to withdraw from the Unity Government. He said any such decision should be made collectively and based on principles, in order to safeguard the party’s dignity and direction, particularly in defending the interests of Malays and Islam.
On the issue of leaving the government, Mohd Puad said there was no question of UMNO being afraid to sit in opposition, noting that calls for the party to do so were not new.
“There is no issue of being afraid to become the opposition. UMNO is already in opposition in Terengganu, Kelantan, Kedah and Perlis,” he said.
He also reflected on the long history of cooperation between UMNO and PAS, recalling that the two parties had once formed coalition governments in Terengganu, Kelantan and Kedah in 1973.
Mohd Puad stressed the need for clarity on what was meant by “leaving the government” or “leaving the Cabinet”, saying the two were not the same.
Nevertheless, he said the proposal should ultimately be referred to UMNO’s Supreme Council for consideration and a decision in the interest of the party’s future.
“I am confident that when Dr Muhamad Akmal voiced this stance, he was actually looking at UMNO’s future so that the party remains relevant,” said the former Batu Pahat Member of Parliament.
At the same time, Mohd Puad suggested that the Muafakat Nasional label be replaced with a new name that does not frame cooperation solely as a political alliance aimed at winning elections.
He added that, in his personal view, the Muafakat Nasional brand had already been damaged and had become “spoiled” and “rotten”. - January 4, 2025
