Umno, PAS must start talks now if they want to cooperate in Perak, says delegate

Perak Umno Youth delegate Ibnu Rasyeed Mat Isa has urged negotiations between Umno and PAS to commence immediately if the two parties wish to cooperate politically in the state of Perak. Speaking at the general assembly today, he emphasized that seats should not be distributed based on personal egos, but rather on each party's past election performance, grassroots support, organizational strength, and winning potential.

Ibnu Rasyeed pointed out that the 15th general election (GE15) results in Perak demonstrated that seemingly challenging seats are not definitively unwinnable, while safe seats could also be lost. He advised against nostalgia and urged a strategic approach to the election.

The Umno Youth delegate proposed categorizing seats into three groups: core seats to defend, seats to be negotiated, and strategic seats that can be won through collaboration. He cautioned against demanding a 50-50 split of seats, asserting that the outcome of the previous state election showed the importance of cooperation between Perikatan Nasional, Pakatan Harapan, and Barisan Nasional.

In that election, Perikatan Nasional secured 26 seats, Pakatan Harapan 24, and Barisan Nasional 9 – with Umno winning eight of the nine BN seats.

Ibnu Rasyeed highlighted that no single coalition emerged victorious in the state government, leading to a partnership between Barisan Nasional and Pas to form the administration with a combined 33 seats.