Umno man slams ‘nonsensical’ suggestion for alliance with PN

Razlan Rafii rubbishes proposal by party member Isham Jalil to push for Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar to become the next prime minister.

(FMT) – Umno Supreme Council member Razlan Rafii has slammed a proposal by a member for the party to collaborate with PAS to push for Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar to become the next prime minister.

Razlan said Isham Jalil’s suggestion was “nonsensical”, adding that even if 26 Umno MPs were to jump ship, the unity government would not topple.

At most, it would only create political instability, Razlan told FMT.

“It does not make sense. And neither will Umno seek new partners that would only serve to create turmoil in the country’s political scene, as Muhyiddin Yassin once did,” he said, referring to the Sheraton Move which led to the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan government in 2020.

Razlan said Umno and Barisan Nasional MPs remained steadfast in Anwar’s leadership since the establishment of the unity government over a year ago. “So, there’s no issue of seeking new partners.”

Earlier today, Isham said Samsuri, who is also a PAS vice-president, could become the next prime minister if Perikatan Nasional could persuade Umno to join forces with them before the next general election.

He said it would not be impossible to topple the current government if the country’s two largest Malay-Muslim parties formed an alliance.

However, the ball was in PAS’s court, he said.

PAS and Umno had formed Muafakat Nasional, a political alliance forged in 2019, with the aim of uniting the Malay-Muslim vote.

In the run-up to the Kemaman parliamentary by-election on Saturday, Samsuri, who is the Terengganu menteri besar, was talked up as the opposition coalition’s prime ministerial candidate.

He defeated Barisan Nasional rival Raja Affandi Raja Noor with a 37,220-vote majority, with observers speculating the landslide victory could be a stepping stone for PN to return to Putrajaya.

Razlan also questioned Isham’s motive in putting forward such a proposal. He claimed that Isham had met representatives from Bersatu, adding that pictures of such meetings had made their rounds.

“He’s an empty vessel who does not contribute much to the party,” he said.