Kami lemah tapi bukan terancam, kata pemimpin Umno Kedah

Shaiful Hazizy Zainol Abidin, the Umno Kedah publicity officer, stated that the party acknowledges its current weakness and lack of dominance in the state, yet dismisses concerns that it is only being considered for an alliance with PAS due to perceived fear. In a statement, Shaiful emphasized that Umno Kedah has not reached a state of being threatened or facing extinction, as indicated by the outcomes of several state elections, suggesting that efforts to regain ground are yielding results.

"Threatened? Yes, Umno Kedah is indeed weak, but it has not yet reached the level of being threatened or extinct," he said in the statement. He discussed an FMT report, which cited a remark by political analyst Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid from the University of Science Malaysia, who claimed that Umno can only hope to reclaim the Bakar Arang and Sidam parliamentary seats, previously won by the PKR, and the Kota Darul Aman seat held by the DAP, if it adheres to the principle of granting seats to the incumbent.

At the Umno General Council in the previous weekend, Shaiful mentioned that Umno Kedah seeks to initiate political cooperation talks with PAS in the run-up to the 2016 General Election, but not with the Perikatan Nasional (PN), referring to the existence of a "kitten" party within the coalition without naming it. He did not elaborate on the identity of the "kitten" party.

Shaiful further explained that Umno Kedah acknowledges its diminished dominance and needs to adapt to the new political landscape, comparing the party's situation to that of a migrant seeking to acclimate to current realities, while still hoping to achieve a mutually beneficial arrangement with PAS. According to him, any discussions between PAS and the Barisan Nasional (BN) beyond this point should enter a new phase with more current, sincere, and focused terms to prevent a long-standing dispute from continuing to dominate their relationship.

However, Shaiful stressed that Umno Kedah is only willing to engage in talks with a party that has proven historical and organizational strength, not one that relies on the role of a mediator or political broker. "True reconciliation between the ummah can only occur when Umno and PAS reach an agreement without interference from others," he concluded.