PH, Umno top leaders strive to show unity but bad blood on open display at state level
The relationship between Umno and Pakatan Harapan (PH) at the state and grassroots levels appears to be a far cry from the picture of unity painted by their top leaders at the federal level.
(MalaysiaNow) – No love seems to have been gained or lost since the hung parliament after the 2022 general election which saw the long-time foes joining forces to stop Perikatan Nasional from coming to power.
Conversations by MalaysiaNow with grassroots leaders in Umno revealed growing discontent over the perception that they are being sidelined in the distribution of local positions – a possible sign that the hopes of an electoral alliance harboured by those aligned with party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for the next nationwide polls may be a distant dream.
Nowhere is this more evident than in Terengganu, where Umno was crushed at last year’s state election.
Today, party leaders feel overlooked in terms of local government representation while others say they are being bullied.
At the heart of the problem is PH’s demand that Umno part with more than 1,600 positions in the Federal Village Development and Security Committee (JPKKP), the body under the rural and regional development ministry led by Zahid which acts as Putrajaya’s arm in opposition states.
“Imagine, how are we supposed to hand over these positions when they don’t even have a grassroots presence in this state?
“Why do they want these posts?” said Terengganu Umno information secretary Mohd Supian Museri.
