Umno had traditionally negotiated with both PAS and PN during previous elections, but recent debates among party delegates indicated a shift in emphasis.
KUALA LUMPUR: Umno appears to be leaning towards direct negotiations with PAS rather than dealing with Perikatan Nasional (PN) as a whole ahead of the next general election.
Umno secretary-general Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said there was growing sentiment within the party to focus negotiations on PAS leadership instead of approaching the issue through the wider PN coalition.
READ MORE: Zahid goes ‘Gen Z’, urges youths to ‘slay’, ‘flex’ and get Umno a ‘W’
READ MORE: Umno-PAS rapprochement worrying political rivals – Asyraf
READ MORE: Terengganu Umno warns Zahid: ‘Think carefully’ in any PAS deal
He said Umno had traditionally negotiated with both PAS and PN during previous elections, but recent debates among party delegates indicated a shift in emphasis.
“As in previous elections, we have relied on negotiations with PAS as well as Perikatan Nasional.
“But if we look at the debates and views from the delegates, there is a tendency for us to focus on negotiations with PAS leadership rather than looking at it in the context of PN itself,” he told a press conference after the 2026 Umno General Assembly here today.
Asyraf said the party leadership would take into account the views expressed by delegates when determining its approach to future negotiations.
Asked whether negotiations would be led by the party president or other senior leaders, Asyraf said a negotiating committee would be formed by the PAS leadership.
However, he stressed that formal negotiations had yet to begin and would only commence after Parliament or the relevant state assemblies were dissolved.
“The negotiations have not even begun. As mentioned by the president, wait until the dissolution takes place.
“Only then will negotiations begin. That is what happened in Johor and that is also what happened in Negeri Sembilan,” he said.
He said negotiations traditionally began only after an election had been called, rather than beforehand.
“When the dissolution is announced, negotiations begin. Negotiations do not begin before dissolution,” he said.
The remarks echo a similar position taken by Umno Kedah during the assembly, with the state chapter backing direct talks with PAS while rejecting negotiations with PN.
Umno Merbok chief Datuk Shaiful Hazizy Zainol Abidin said the position was partly due to the presence of smaller parties within PN, which he described as lacking strong political influence.
