SABAH UMNO GIVEN AUTONOMY TO DECIDE ON COOPERATING WITH OTHER PARTIES - AHMAD ZAHID

SEPANGGAR, May 17 (Bernama) -- The Sabah UMNO leadership has been given autonomous powers to discuss and make decisions on collaboration with other parties in the upcoming 17th state election , said UMNO president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Ahmad Zahid, who is also Deputy Prime Minister, said he is confident in the Sabah UMNO leadership in conducting negotiations to ensure UMNO can form a government with other party partners in the state after the election.

He said central UMNO greatly respects Sabah UMNO's autonomy, which the state UMNO Liaison Committee chairman, Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, and other party leadership are also aware.

"No (the decision) its not (made) at federal level. We are consulting each other. I believe under the leadership of Datuk Seri Bung Moktar, he will be able not only to discuss with parties in Sabah and he will also definitely discuss with us in Putrajaya," he told reporters after officiating Gerak 17 of the Sepanggar Parliament constituency here, today.

Besides Bung Moktar, also present at the ceremony were UMNO secretary-general Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki, UMNO Supreme Council member Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan and Sepanggar UMNO chief Datuk Yakub Khan.

According to him, nothing cannot be negotiated, including collaboration with other parties, and he is confident that Bung Moktar will look at the situation holistically in making a decision on the collaboration.

Ahmad Zahid also reiterated UMNO's stance that the party is still open to collaborating with any party in Sabah in this election, and based on his observations, no party can form a government without joining forces with another party in the 17th state election.

"No party should be too proud to feel that their party is dominant and can contest without cooperating with other parties," he said.

Meanwhile, Ahmad Zahid also reminded leaders not to arouse regionalistic feelings because this country was formed in the spirit of the Federation of Malaysia.

The Deputy Prime Minister said that any leader, including in Sabah, should not raise such matters, because the state and the country need each other to continue progressing.

"We don't want strong regionalistic feelings. Why do we need to raise that issue? Don't raise such feelings. We need each other. Let's not be narrow-minded and rigid," he said.

-- BERNAMA