Umno’s decision to allow state leaders to discuss possible electoral alliances with other parties does not mean its state chapters have been granted full autonomy, an analyst says.
International Islamic University Malaysia analyst Syaza Syukri said Umno’s central leadership would still have the final say on any proposed alliance.
She also played down the possibility of state chapters being given full autonomy in the near future.
“They (the central Umno leadership) may not interfere in the initial negotiations (for a possible alliance), but they will ultimately give the nod or not,” she told FMT.
State leaders allowed to explore electoral alliances
The Umno Supreme Council agreed last Friday to allow state leaders to discuss and negotiate electoral agreements with other parties ahead of coming elections.
Umno secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said any alliance must be based on “trust and sincerity, and not ultimatums”.
Barisan Nasional (BN), of which Umno is the lynchpin, had previously said it wanted to continue its cooperation with Perikatan Nasional (PN) in the Melaka polls, following the coalitions’ victory in the Negeri Sembilan election.
However, BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi later said BN wanted to contest the 21 seats it won in the last Melaka election, while PN said negotiations were still ongoing.
On Sunday, Zahid said formal negotiations with Pakatan Harapan (PH), BN’s ally in the federal unity government, over cooperation in Melaka were expected to begin after the dissolution of the state legislative assembly.
Syaza said the decision to allow state leaders to explore possible electoral tie-ups reflected the changing political landscape and the need to tailor strategies to local conditions.
“Umno is acknowledging that the ‘one formula for all’ is no longer tenable, as the party’s strength and voter sentiment differ across states.”
She cited Johor as an example, where BN contested all 56 seats on its own and went head-to-head with PH.
State political landscapes require different approaches
National Council of Professors fellow Azmi Hassan said the Supreme Council’s decision was based on the political landscape in individual states.
He said BN might find it easier to identify the party it wanted to establish an electoral agreement with in Melaka or Negeri Sembilan.
However, he said the situation would be different in Perak, Pahang and the four PAS-led states of Kedah, Kelantan, Terengganu and Perlis.
“Different political landscapes require different approaches.”
Azmi also said alliances formed for state elections would not necessarily indicate the political alignment for the next general election.
