PAS election director Sanusi Nor has questioned Umno’s sincerity in pursuing Malay political unity following Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan’s call for a snap election in Terengganu.
Sanusi said there was no need to test PAS’ sincerity on the Malay unity agenda, while pointing out that Umno had not given any of its seats to PAS in the Johor or Negeri Sembilan state elections.
The Perikatan Nasional (PN) election director said Umno’s ‘sincerity’ so far had been limited to facilitating vote transfers while retaining the seats it currently holds, Berita Harian reported.
‘Which Umno seats were given to PAS in the Johor and Negeri Sembilan polls? Or which Umno seats will be given to us in Melaka?’ Sanusi was quoted as saying.
Dispute over seat allocations
Sanusi said Umno’s approach had so far focused on defending its existing seats while seeking seats currently held by other parties.
‘Umno’s sincerity so far has only been about defending what they have. Then they fight for seats they don’t hold yet, such as those held by Pakatan Harapan,’ he said.
Mohamad, also known as Tok Mat, had called for a snap election in PAS-led Terengganu to demonstrate the Islamic party’s sincerity towards Malay unity.
He said that if Umno and PAS could reach an agreement on seat allocations in Terengganu, a similar formula could be adopted for the next general election.
PAS rejects snap election proposal
Umno was wiped out in the 2023 Terengganu state election, winning none of the 27 seats it contested.
PN, meanwhile, won all 32 seats, with PAS taking 27 and Bersatu five, leaving Terengganu without an opposition for the first time.
PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man rejected Mohamad’s call, saying elections should not be used as a testing ground or as a tool to measure the sincerity of political cooperation.
He said a snap election was unnecessary as the Terengganu government was stable and performing well.
