GEORGE TOWN – Penang PAS said it hopes that the state’s Umno will take after the decision by Perlis and Sabah Umno to continue working with Bersatu in GE15.
Penang PAS commissioner Muhammad Fauzi Yusof said that Umno and Bersatu should allow the ummah in Penang to unite, refreshing voter confidence.
“If Sabah and Perlis can do so, then so can Penang. If they are not united, the voters will not want to support them.
“The combination of PAS, Umno, and Bersatu will give us hope to win in Penang, or at least increase the number of seats in Parliament or the state assembly,” he told The Vibes.
Umno has made it clear that its political cooperation with Bersatu will end once Parliament is dissolved to make way for the general election.
Bersatu said in its response that the party will look to strengthen its cooperation with other PN allies – PAS, Sabah Star, SAPP, and Gerakan – to face GE15.
Asked about PAS’ effort to unite Umno and Bersatu in Penang, Fauzi said that PAS has always played a role in various matters involving both parties.
“However, as usual, sometimes it is clear, sometimes murky,” he said.
Fauzi said that the grassroots – especially the state’s Malays – also expected efforts to enhance Umno-Bersatu cooperation.
“It is not only us that hopes for this, but the people hope so too. This is always expressed by the communities we visit,” he said.
In the last election, Umno won two state seats – Permatang Berangan and Sg Dua – and two parliamentary seats, won by Datuk Seri Reezal Merican (Kepala Batas) and Datuk Shabudin Yahaya (Tasek Gelugor).
Shabudin, however, quit Umno and became a member of parliament for Bersatu in 2018. – The Vibes, March 7, 2021
