UMNO stresses support for PM Anwar’s unity government despite going solo in Johor, Negeri Sembilan state polls

UMNO stresses support for PM Anwar’s unity government despite going solo in Johor, Negeri Sembilan state polls Barisan Nasional’s move to contest solo in Johor is a “legitimate, mature and constitutional democratic act”, says UMNO secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki amid criticism. KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) party has reaffirmed its commitment to the federal unity government despite tensions with coalition partner Pakatan Harapan (PH) ahead of the upcoming Johor and Negeri Sembilan state polls. This comes as UMNO - which is part of the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition - and Anwar’s PH have announced that they will be contesting in the two upcoming state polls separately. While BN and PH jointly form the federal government and also share the same power-sharing model in the recently dissolved Negeri Sembilan legislative assembly, the two coalitions are rivals at the state level in Johor. The Johor legislative assembly - in which BN controlled 40 of the 56 seats - was formed prior to the establishment of the unity government. On Wednesday (Jun 10), UMNO secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki rejected claims that the party’s decision to defend its mandate in Johor is a betrayal of the federal coalition, describing it instead as a “legitimate, mature and constitutional democratic act”. The Johor state government, he noted, was formed before the unity government was established at the federal level and did not involve PH parties. “Therefore, the agreement on the formation of the unity government at the federal level does not bind any state government,” he added. Separately, Asyraf said that the party remained open to cooperation with any political party in the interests of political stability and the well-being of the people, local media reported. “Any form of cooperation must be rooted in the principles of sincerity and trust,” he said in a statement issued after Wednesday’s UMNO Supreme Council meeting, as quoted by Free Malaysia Today. Asyraf added that the party has the right to decide its own stance and direction in any election, including the upcoming Johor and Negeri Sembilan state elections. While there have been calls from certain quarters for UMNO to revive the defunct Muafakat Nasional alliance with opposition Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS), its president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said on Tuesday that there was no intention to revive the pact. “Whether it is 1.0 or 2.0, that is over, and we have closed the book,” he was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times. Formed in September 2019, MN was a short-lived political pact between PAS and UMNO, led by ex-UMNO member Annuar Musa. Meanwhile, Anwar has also reaffirmed his unity government’s commitment to its coalition partners, saying that it would not take any action that could be perceived as a betrayal of the existing political consensus. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday during his trip to Japan, Anwar said that the government remained stable. “Members of the Cabinet and the leadership represented in it have consistently maintained that the unity government at the national level must remain strong,” he said, as quoted by Bernama. Amid tensions ahead of the Johor and Negeri Sembilan state polls, Anwar’s comments also came following recent developments within the opposition bloc following PAS’ decision to end its political relationship with coalition partner Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu). Anwar said that the unity government’s political approach remained rooted in consultation, discussion and cooperation, rather than abruptly severing ties. “In politics, this business of divorcing … and remarrying is not our way. We negotiate properly, discuss matters properly and cooperate properly. For now, the unity government remains intact, although there are some differences of opinion at the state level,” he said. Anwar’s comments came as Johor’s caretaker chief minister Onn Hafiz Ghazi recently ruled out any cooperation with the Democratic Action Party (DAP) if BN is given the mandate to form the state government. DAP is the largest component party within the PH coalition and currently holds 40 parliamentary seats in Malaysia’s lower house of parliament. Speaking at the Johor BN election machinery launch on Sunday, the Johor BN chairman and poster boy said that Johor’s political landscape differed from the federal level, adding that he would rather not be chief minister than “sit at the same table with them”, referring to the DAP. Several PH politicians have clapped back, including DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke, who called out Onn Hafiz’s “arrogance”, while pointing out that Zahid - the UMNO president - sits next to him during Cabinet meetings. The Johor and Negeri Sembilan state assemblies were dissolved on Jun 1 and Jun 5 respectively, with the Election Commission set to announce the election timeline for both states on Friday.