UMNO cannot work with Bersatu and the Perikatan National (PN) coalition as they are a burden, said party firebrand Nur Jazlan Mohamed.

The Johor Umno deputy chief said in reality, Umno does not need Bersatu, but the latter needs them to survive in the political arena.

“All I’ve been saying is that Umno cannot go with PN because we are carrying them.

“It’s like the Malay saying, ‘seperti memikul biawak hidup’ (doing something that is burdensome yet not beneficial),” the former Pulai MP told The Malaysian Insight.

On March 28, the Umno annual general assembly voted to end ties with Bersatu and mandate the leadership to withdraw from the PN government as and when it sees fit.

Nur Jazlan said Bersatu would need Umno, which has the numbers and has been strong for decades.

He, however, said this collaboration will not happen, respecting the resolution passed at the AGM.

“Umno has the numbers and has been strong for decades. We have principles and have struggled. Can we mix with Bersatu? No.

“Bersatu needs Umno. We don’t need them.

“Furthermore, most Umno divisions and branches do not want to work with Bersatu in the next general election,” Nur Jazlan said.

The former deputy home minister said Bersatu are poised to collapse in the next general election regardless of how many parties they can rope in, adding that there is no long-term future for the party.

“If we pull out, they (Bersatu) will collapse no matter how many parties they can collect.

“Even if MIC and MCA feel they can join PN, I think deep in their hearts, they know they need Umno to carry them,” he said.

Recent comments by Umno’s deputy president Mohamad Hasan and Senior Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob about the instability of the PN government add to the inevitability of fresh elections.

What is left then is seat negotiations in PN, which currently consists of Bersatu (35), Barisan Nasional (42), PAS (18), Gabungan Parti Sarawak (18) and four Borneo independents.

Although the government is led by Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin, seven out of its 32 federal seats were won as part of Pakatan Harapan in 2018.

The other 25 seats comprise defectors from Umno (15) and the PKR faction (10) led by sacked deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali.

Nur Jazlan said even the likes of PAS would not be able to secure Bersatu enough seats to win convincingly.

“Most people know PAS is strong in Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah.

“They can hurt us but we can hurt them there too,” Nur Jazlan said, adding that PAS will not prove to be a challenge to Umno elsewhere. – April 9, 2021.