ALOR GAJAH: Umno is not going to rush headlong into making any statement over a proposal for Selangor PAS to leave the Pakatan Rakyat coalition and form the Selangor state government with Umno, according to Umno executive secretary Datuk Ab Rauf Yusoh.
He said the proposal could be a personal one unrelated to PAS made by PAS central committee member Dr Mohd Zuhdi Marzuki.
Mohd Zuhdi is said to have discussed in a leaked conversation on a WhatsApp network for PAS central committee leaders the possibility of the party working with Umno in Selangor while retaining Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim of PKR as the menteri besar.
“We had resolved to work with PAS several times but the overtures were not well received.
“This time, although the overture is coming from PAS members themselves, it is up to the PAS leadership to evaluate the stand of the grassroots … we (Umno) will wait and see,” he told reporters at the Aidilfitri open house of the Masjid Tanah Umno division here.
Melaka Yang Dipertua Negeri Tun Mohd Khalil Yaakob and Chief Minister Datuk Seri Idris Haron also attended the open house.
Ab Rauf, who is Masjid Tanah Umno Division chief, said Umno was open to cooperation with parties which gave preference
to the people’s interest and welfare.
Pakatan Rakyat holds 44 seats in the 56-seat Selangor state assembly, with PAS and DAP having 15 seats each and PKR, 14. The Barisan Nasional (BN) holds 12 seats, all of them Umno’s.
Various opinions have been raised by leaders of PKR, PAS and DAP, partners of Pakatan Rakyat, following a PKR decision to want to replace Abdul Khalid with PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as the menteri besar of Selangor.
— Bernama