PENANG DAP deputy chairman Ramkarpal Singh Deo called on Pakatan Harapan (PH) to be cautious when dealing with Umno despite readmitting the party back into the state government fold.
The lawyer said the events during the Negeri Sembilan and Johor state elections left a bitter aftertaste with PH over the conduct of Umno in leading Barisan Nasional (BN) to a political pact with Perikatan Nasional (PN).
The pact lasted in both state elections, resulting in a significant loss for PH, especially in Negeri, a state which the coalition had held for the past two terms.
"It was a collective decision to accept Umno in Penang, but if you ask me, I would tell my PH counterparts to be cautious. We have to be careful," said Ramkarpal.
State PH chairman Chow Kon Yeow, who is also the chief minister, stressed that working with Umno was about stability in the state and to honour the electoral pact that both sides inked in leading the way towards the national government.
Despite pressure to leave Umno out of the state government following the Negeri Sembilan and Johor electoral defeats, Chow chose not to jeopardise the political situation further.
According to him, the agreement includes retaining Umno state executive councillor Datuk Rashidi Zinol, who holds the Rural Development, Agrotechnology, Food Security and Entrepreneurship portfolios.
But Ramkarpal said that after the stinging defeats in the two southern states, PH needs to be more aggressive in maintaining its support and in regaining the trust of the electoral front that they may have lost.
It is learnt that during the meeting, there was an exchange over the pros and cons of retaining Umno in the state executive councillor line-up.
A state DAP veteran said it was an outrageous move to retain Umno because the party had offended the socialist party during campaigning last month.
"Remarks such as kasi bungkus (killed off) Anthony Loke (Siew Fook) in Chennah are a grim reminder that Umno has backstabbed us. We cannot be nice to them while they do this. Politics is about principles; otherwise, why enter this honourable agreement?" said the veteran.
Umno only has two state seats in Penang, while DAP has 19, PKR has seven and Parti Amanah Nasional has one, whereas PAS and Bersatu jointly have 11.
State elections in Penang must be held on or before October 28, 2028, pursuant to clause 19 (4) of the Constitution of Penang or unless dissolved earlier by the Yang di-Pertua Negri. – August 9 2026
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