PETALING JAYA: Umno has welcomed PAS’s willingness to contest the upcoming Melaka state election under the Barisan Nasional (BN) logo, signalling a possible strengthening of cooperation between the two parties.
Umno vice-president Khaled Nordin said any party seeking to contest under the BN banner would first have to undergo the coalition’s screening process and obtain approval.
“If any party is willing to contest under the BN logo, we certainly welcome it. But it must be subject to the necessary considerations and decisions,” he was quoted as saying by Utusan Malaysia.
However, Khaled stopped short of saying whether the same arrangement would be extended to other Perikatan Nasional (PN) component parties, including Wawasan.
“Our ‘house’ is open to those we are comfortable with. It’s not open to everyone,” he said.
His remarks came a day after PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said negotiations with Umno on seat allocations for the Melaka election were about 90% complete.
Tuan Ibrahim also said PAS was prepared to contest under the BN logo if this could facilitate a final agreement between the two parties.
The development comes after the Registrar of Societies (RoS) suspended PN’s activities effective Sept 23, following a notice requiring the coalition to explain a complaint lodged by Bersatu.
The suspension means PN component parties cannot contest under the coalition’s banner until the matter is resolved.
Apart from PAS and Wawasan, PN comprises Bersatu, Pejuang, MIPP and Gerakan.
-FMT
