UMNO DOES NOT WISH TO REPEAT MISTAKES, SAYS PRESIDENT AHMAD ZAHID

PUTRAJAYA, Jan 6 (Bernama) -- UMNO does not wish to repeat past mistakes in forging cooperation with any opposition party at this time, party president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said today.

The Deputy Prime Minister said any decision would be examined thoroughly and cautiously to ensure the party is not “bitten by the same snake for the second time in the same place”.

“We do not want to be nostalgic about using any previously proposed name, and nothing has been finalised. That is why details are important — because we do not want to be bitten by the same snake for the second time in the same place,” he said when met after the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development’s “Majlis Amanat Tahun Baharu 2026”.

He was responding to a question on whether UMNO and PAS would resume cooperation under the Muafakat Nasional (MN) banner.

Ahmad Zahid, who is also Rural and Regional Development Minister, said a resolution on the matter was tabled by the UMNO Youth chief at the party’s Political Bureau meeting yesterday.

He said the issue was discussed openly, but no decision was reached.

Last Saturday (Jan 3), UMNO Youth chief Datuk Dr Mohamad Akmal Saleh tabled two motions at the UMNO Youth Special Convention — for UMNO to resume cooperation with PAS and for the party to withdraw from the Unity Government and assume the role of the opposition.

Meanwhile, Ahmad Zahid said no decision had been made on UMNO Youth’s call for the party to leave the Unity Government.

“No decision has been made. Whatever decision is taken will be a major one made by the party. Insya-Allah, when the time comes, we will announce it,” he said.

According to Ahmad Zahid, discussions also touched on proposals to re-establish political cooperation between UMNO and Barisan Nasional (BN) with the opposition, particularly involving UMNO and PAS.

However, he stressed that all views expressed by state representatives must be carefully scrutinised, reiterating that UMNO’s position from the outset has been clear — the party will not engage in any ‘tebuk atap’ manoeuvres against the current government.

“My position, and that of the party, has been clear from the beginning. We will never carry out a ‘tebuk atap’ against the existing government. We will remain with the Unity Government until the end of its term, before the 16th General Election,” he said.

-- BERNAMA