Be cautious when negotiating with 'the other side', Terengganu Umno warns

UMNO AGM | Terengganu Umno has warned its president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to be cautious when negotiating with "the other side".

Its delegate, Kuala Nerus chief Ahmad Razif Abd Rahman, expressed this concern so that there will be no repeat of the loss of all its seats in the state, as in the last general election.

"We have arrayed our lines, closed ranks, and doubled our service, from Kemaman to Besut, from Hulu Terengganu to Kuala Terengganu, and we promise to rise again to redeem the party's dignity in (Terengganu) Darul Iman.

"But president, when negotiating with the other side, be careful and consider us too. Do not let it be a case of negotiating for mutual benefit, only to chase sole profit instead of sharing the blessing.

"Negotiate, by all means, Datuk Seri, but do not let us return empty-handed at 40-0 again; so Datuk Seri, negotiate maturely and calmly," Razif (above) said in his debate on the president's policy speech at the Umno annual general assembly at the Kuala Lumpur World Trade Centre (WTC KL) this morning.

Although he did not name the party in question, the former Terengganu menteri besar is believed to be referring to the ongoing cooperation between Umno and PAS.

In the 15th general election, PAS and Perikatan Nasional recorded a clean sweep of all parliamentary and state seats in Terengganu.

A similar call was put forth yesterday by the delegate from Perak, Ipoh Barat deputy chief Iqbal Jamaluddin, who said that PAS would likely want any cooperation agreement to prevent BN from expanding into states already held by the Islamist party.

"It's not that I'm rejecting it - we want unity, but there needs to be a thorough discussion.

"There needs to be an invitation to sit down together to talk about pros and cons," he explained.

Political understanding

Commenting further, Razif expressed hopes that Terengganu Umno would not be "pawned off" despite the understanding being crafted with PAS.

He added that while Zahid (below) proposed the grand collaboration concept at last year's assembly, the latest is a tafahum siyasi or political understanding, similar to what occurred in Negeri Sembilan.

"Perhaps (cooperation) will happen in Malacca. Let it not be just one winner; let us enjoy it together.

"It is fine to have an understanding, but do not sell us out completely until we in Terengganu are left completely exposed," he stated.

On Tuesday, Malaysiakini reported that Terengganu Umno stressed that it remains open to cooperation with other parties, including PAS in the state, especially after they sent signals desiring ummah unity.

Its deputy chief Nik Dir Nik Wan Ku, however, said speeches by PAS leaders at their recent muktamar to defend all won seats did not reflect the right spirit.

Nik Dir said the concept of a merger between PAS and Umno is meaningless if PAS monopolises all the seats it previously won.

READ MORE: PAS Youth wants party to lead, not follow, in race for Putrajaya

On Thursday night, Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan outlined several conditions for those seeking to forge pacts with the party, including accepting its “centrist” position and ambition to become politically self-reliant.

He also said that while Umno had been in “survival mode” for the past eight years since it first lost power in Putrajaya, its future must be built on “self-reliance”, rather than the calculations or strengths of other parties.

BN is also considering cooperation with PN in the upcoming Malacca election as part of efforts to build a united Malay-Muslim political front.

This comes as BN's relationship with Harapan - its rival and reluctant federal coalition partner - has become increasingly tense in recent months.

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