Not too late for Umno-Bersatu cooperation in GE15, says Redzuan

Bersatu Supreme Council member Redzuan Yusof said the door is still open should Umno wish to discuss working together with the party in facing the 15th general election (GE15).

(FMT) – The former minister in the Prime Minister’s Department said cooperation between the two parties is still possible, if Umno were ready to change its ways.

“I’m a little disappointed. First, one of the reasons the Malays are left behind is because we are not united,” he told FMT.

“Second, I still want to hold on to a vision of a Malay leadership for all races.

“But is Umno willing to sacrifice its own self interest and reform itself? If it is, then Bersatu will have no issue working with Umno.”

Previously, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang said the party had decided to strengthen its ties with Perikatan Nasional (PN) for GE15, following a three-hour meeting to determine whether it would stand by the coalition or work with Umno.

Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi then said Barisan Nasional (BN) would go solo in GE15 following PAS’ decision to stick with PN.

Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin had declared war against BN last month, calling the coalition its main enemy in GE15.

The Election Commission (EC) is scheduled to meet in Putrajaya today  to discuss dates for GE15.

Redzuan, who wants to defend his Alor Gajah parliamentary seat, said PN had proven that it could govern the country even though it was in power for only 17 months.

“PN was given the opportunity to display its strength during a challenging time,” he said.

“Whatever BN, the prime minister, or the ministers in the government today may say, PN has helped the gross domestic product (GDP) grow. The people must remember that this was a result of the PN government’s initiatives.

“PN’s initiatives worked,” he said, adding that caretaker finance minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz was first appointed by then prime minister Muhyiddin.

“This means that the 8.62% GDP growth (in the second quarter of this year) was a result of our initiatives, not that of the Keluarga Malaysia government.”

Tengku Zafrul was the CEO of CIMB Group Holdings Bhd when Muhyiddin picked him for the finance portfolio in March 2020.

He was retained as the finance minister when Ismail Sabri Yaakob took over as prime minister in August last year.