Kedah Umno will talk to PAS, but not PN, says division chief

Kedah Umno will engage in discussions with PAS regarding potential political cooperation, but will refrain from negotiations with Perikatan Nasional, according to division chief Shaiful Hazizy Zainol Abidin. The Merbok Umno chief made this statement during the Umno general assembly, citing PN's inclusion of the "cat" party, a term he attributed to Kedah Menteri Besar Sanusi Nor, who also serves as PAS's election director.

Shaiful likened Umno to the "elephant" and PN to the "cat" party, expressing his discontent with PN as a "cat party" that causes trouble. This party, which he did not name, was criticized for elected representatives who had left Bersatu to join Wawasan. Kedah Umno voiced concerns about such groups, viewing their resignations as insincere last-minute moves.

Shaiful stated that the decision on Umno's broader political direction would ultimately be left to Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. Kedah Umno chairman Mahdzir Khalid had been planning to meet Sanusi to discuss possible cooperation ahead of the 16th general election. Kedah Umno had previously failed to win any parliamentary seats in Kedah during the 2022 general election and had been absent from the state assembly following the 2021 state elections.

PAS holds a majority of both parliamentary and state seats in Kedah. Sanusi announced in a recent PAS muktamar that the party would no longer cede winnable seats to other parties in future elections.