{
  "id": 6738924,
  "title": "Malay parties must embrace give and take over seat allocation, says Umno delegate",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/malay-parties-must-embrace-give-and-take-over-seat-allocation-says",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-11T09:47:44.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2026/09/1530641/malay-parties-must-embrace-give-and-take-over-seat-allocation-says-umno"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Negri Sembilan Umno delegate Datuk Mohd Isam Mohd Isa emphasized the need for Malay political parties to compromise over seat allocation during elections. He stated that this failure was one of the primary reasons behind the decline of Malay parties in the past. Isam stressed that each party should be willing to contest a limited number of seats, rather than attempting to contest all seats simultaneously. He explained that if every party pursued all seats without embracing the concept of give and take, reaching an agreement would be impossible. As a party leader, Isam acknowledged the difficulty in accepting this approach, as there are states where Umno is strong and others where Pas is strong. However, he mentioned that the Tampin Umno chief's willingness to compromise on several seats, including Gemas, Kelawang, and Gemencheh, ultimately led to greater unity and Malay vote consolidation. Isam highlighted that these sacrificed seats were considered Umno strongholds and potential victories, but the party's brave decision to make sacrifices proved beneficial. The outcome included winning contested seats with comfortable majorities and regaining control of the Negri Sembilan government. Despite the initial difficulty in relinquishing the Gemas seat, Isam accepted the decision, as it resulted in defeating Transport Minister Anthony Loke in Chennah, a former Menteri Besar in Lenggeng, and wresting Labu from the DAP. He urged Umno to select candidates based on merit and ensure they were approved by the grassroots at division and branch levels, emphasizing that candidates should not be chosen solely based on friendship or personal preference.",
  "summary": "KUALA LUMPUR: Failure among Malay political parties to reach agreement, particularly over the allocation of seats contested in elections, was one of the main reasons for their decline in the past, said Negri Sembilan Umno delegate Datuk Mohd Isam Mohd Isa.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "Umno must end internal bickering, strengthen unity, says party delegate",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/umno-must-end-internal-bickering-strengthen-unity-says-party-delegate",
        "published": "2026-09-11T08:40:51.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Umno must not lose sight of survival in Malay-Muslim unity, says Perak delegate",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/umno-must-not-lose-sight-of-survival-in-malay-muslim-unity-says-perak",
        "published": "2026-09-11T09:44:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}