KUALA LUMPUR, July 13 — Deputy Prime Minister and UMNO President Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has urged caution over claims by PAS that discussions are underway between the two parties on political cooperation ahead of the Negeri Sembilan state election.
Responding to a statement by PAS President Abdul Hadi Awang, who reportedly said PAS was engaged in negotiations with UMNO to forge a political alliance, Ahmad Zahid said there had been no formal discussions on any political strategy for the Negeri Sembilan polls scheduled for Aug 1.
“Don’t be too positive about PAS. They can change the goalposts at any time,” he told reporters after attending the Joint Mandate Ceremony for the TVET@KKDW contingent to WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 in Kuala Lumpur on Monday.
Ahmad Zahid said any engagement between political parties should not be interpreted as a final agreement, stressing that informal discussions or mutual understanding should not be viewed as confirmation of a political collaboration.
“Not everything that is said should be accepted as an accurate statement. Even if there are discussions, they are merely at the level of mutual understanding and do not constitute a final agreement,” he said.
The UMNO president also pointed to the experience of the recent Johor state election, saying it demonstrated how political circumstances can shift rapidly before nomination day.
“Don’t take such statements too seriously because they can change. Many parties have experienced this before,” he added.
Earlier, Abdul Hadi reportedly said PAS was working towards political cooperation with UMNO to ensure Negeri Sembilan would be governed by a Malay-Muslim administration after the state election. He described the ongoing discussions as positive while launching the “Nismilan Kito Jago” campaign and the Negeri Sembilan PAS fundraising initiative on Sunday.
— MINUTESMY
— SOURCE: ASTRO AWANI
