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JOHOR BAHRU - Former UMNO Supreme Council member Datuk Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi claims there are efforts among certain party leaders to hold closed-door negotiations with PAS.
The covert discussions are believed to be aimed at forming a political alliance ahead of upcoming state elections, specifically in Johor and Negeri Sembilan.
Puad alleged that an early consensus from the negotiations included a commitment from PAS to refrain from fielding candidates in the Johor state election.
This move would theoretically pave a comfortable path for Barisan Nasional (BN) to contest all State Legislative Assembly seats uncontested by their Islamist rivals.
Detailing the internal party sentiment in a statement on Monday, he shared; "Among UMNO leaders including Datuk Megat (Political Secretary to the UMNO President) believe the negotiations are successful and UMNO will win big in Johor," he said.
Puad disclosed that this sensitive issue was debated openly during the UMNO Supreme Council meeting held on June 10.
During the meeting, Puad and several other council members issued a stern warning. They reminded the leadership that any negotiations with PAS should only proceed if the genuine objective was an absolute victory in the state or general elections.
He expressed deep scepticism regarding alliances based purely on religious unity, stating:
"However, if the cooperation is aimed at the unification of the ummah, I am of the view that it will not succeed. It is better to focus on the National Consensus chaired by Tan Sri Ghani Othman," he said.
Puad also heavily criticised the attitude of certain UMNO leaders who he claimed became overly arrogant and confident due to the progress of the backdoor talks. He explained how this overconfidence ultimately backfired on the coalition:
"There are also those who are of the view that if Bossku (Datuk Najib Razak) is still inside during the Johor PRN, it does not matter. This UMNO-PAS cooperation has a bigger impact even though Bossku cannot help campaign.
"That is why some UMNO leaders became too egoistic and 'over confident'. Unfortunately, the PAS-UMNO cooperation failed. BN politics became chaotic. It is worsened by a BN candidate lineup that is anti-youth aspiration, recycled and mediocre," he said.
