UMNO president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has reiterated that his party does not maintain a direct political relationship with the Democratic Action Party (DAP), stressing that the current Unity Government is built strictly on cooperation between coalitions rather than individual parties.
According to Ahmad Zahid, UMNO’s engagement is confined to its role within Barisan Nasional (BN), which in turn works alongside Pakatan Harapan (PH) as part of the governing arrangement. He emphasised that this structure should not be misconstrued as party-to-party collaboration, but rather as a broader coalition-based understanding formed to ensure political stability.
He explained that UMNO has never entered into a direct alliance with DAP. Instead, any interaction occurs at the coalition level, given that MCA is a component party within BN while DAP operates under the PH umbrella. In this context, the foundation of the Unity Government rests on cooperation between BN and PH as coalitions, not on bilateral ties between their respective component parties.
Ahmad Zahid made these remarks while responding to MCA’s firm stance against continued cooperation with DAP in the 16th General Election (GE16). Earlier this month, MCA’s General Assembly adopted a resolution rejecting any form of electoral collaboration with DAP, signalling unease within BN over future political alignments.
As BN chairman, Ahmad Zahid acknowledged these concerns but urged all parties to approach the issue with political maturity and rational thinking as the country moves closer to the next general election. He suggested that differences of opinion among component parties were not unusual and could be managed through dialogue and mutual understanding.
He further indicated that the priority at this stage should be maintaining stability and focusing on realistic political considerations, rather than allowing internal disagreements to overshadow broader national interests. In his view, outstanding issues surrounding electoral cooperation could still be addressed through discussions at the leadership level of both coalitions.
Ahmad Zahid expressed confidence that the main leadership of BN and PH would be able to navigate existing challenges and find workable solutions when the time comes. He implied that decisions regarding electoral strategies for GE16 should be left to coalition leaders, who are better positioned to balance party interests with the need for cohesive governance.
The MCA resolution passed on December 7 has added another layer of complexity to discussions about future cooperation within the Unity Government framework. Nevertheless, Ahmad Zahid’s remarks underline UMNO’s position that the current political arrangement is coalition-driven, and that any misunderstandings about direct party relationships should be clarified well ahead of the next general election.
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