{
  "id": 6866901,
  "title": "Kedah Umno will talk to PAS, but not PN, says division chief",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/12/kedah-umno-will-talk-to-pas-but-not-pn-says-division-chief",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-12T04:25:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2026/09/12/kedah-umno-will-talk-to-pas-but-not-pn-says-division-chief"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Kedah Umno chief Shaiful Hazizy Zainol Abidin announced during the Umno general assembly that the party will engage in talks with PAS regarding potential political cooperation, but will refrain from negotiating with Perikatan Nasional (PN). The Merbok Umno chief made this statement due to PN's inclusion of a party he disparaged as the \"cat,\" a term he attributed to Kedah Menteri Besar Sanusi Nor, who also serves as PAS's election director. Shaiful likened Umno and smaller parties using animal comparisons, describing Sanusi as the \"elephant\" and the opposing side as the \"cat.\" He further criticized PN, stating that they were a \"cat party\" and not a party Kedah Umno intended to negotiate with.\n\nShaiful did not disclose the specific party he was referring to, but he went on to express concerns about elected representatives who had defected from Bersatu to join Wawasan. He addressed Umno President Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, expressing his apprehension about these groups. Shaiful noted that Kedah Umno would ultimately defer to Zahid's decision on the party's broader political direction.\n\nKedah Umno Chairman Mahdzir Khalid had reportedly planned to meet Sanusi to discuss possible cooperation ahead of the 16th general election. In the past, Umno failed to secure any parliamentary seats in Kedah during the 2022 general election and was entirely absent from the state assembly following the subsequent state election. PAS has a substantial majority in both parliamentary and state seats within Kedah. Sanusi announced at a recent PAS muktamar that the party would no longer cede winnable seats to other parties in future elections.",
  "summary": "Shaiful Hazizy Zainol Abidin says the state chapter will not negotiate with a Perikatan Nasional-aligned outfit he dismisses as 'the cat'.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Kedah Umno will talk to PAS, but not PN, says division chief",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/12/kedah-umno-will-talk-to-pas-but-not-pn-says-division-chief-6867964",
        "published": "2026-09-12T04:25:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "Kedah Umno delegate calls for MACC to be renamed 'PKRM'",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/12/kedah-umno-delegate-calls-for-macc-to-be-renamed-pkrm",
        "published": "2026-09-12T04:48:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Malaysiakini",
        "title": "UMNO AGM | K'tan delegate apologises to PAS; Kedah suggests MACC name changed to PKRM",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/12/umno-agm-ktan-delegate-apologises-to-pas-kedah-suggests-macc-name",
        "published": "2026-09-12T05:13:55.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}