Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi today brushed aside MCA’s ultimatum against any cooperation between Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties and DAP in the 16th General Election (GE16), stressing that BN does not have a direct relationship with DAP.
Zahid said the existing political arrangement was strictly between BN and Pakatan Harapan (PH), not between individual parties.
“We have never had a direct relationship with DAP. Our relationship is between BN and PH. This cooperation must be understood as coalition to coalition, not party to party,” he told reporters on the sidelines of an event here.
He added that any disagreements could be resolved through discussion, emphasising the importance of political rationale and mature leadership.
“This issue can be resolved and we can reach an understanding. What matters most is having political rationale. When GE16 is held, let the main leadership of both coalitions manage and address any issues that arise,” he said.
The Umno-led BN played a key role in enabling Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to form the unity government following the 2022 general election, which resulted in a hung Parliament.
In that election, PH emerged with 81 parliamentary seats, while BN secured 30, including 25 won by Umno in what was its worst electoral performance. MCA retained the two seats it previously held.
Earlier this month, MCA’s general assembly passed a resolution rejecting any form of cooperation with DAP in GE16 and stated that the party should chart its own course if any BN component chose to work with DAP in the nationwide polls.
Zahid has previously said that BN intends to continue its alliance with PH in GE16, despite calls from some quarters for the coalition to contest the election on its own.
