UMNO lawmaker Shahidan Kassim said he was only making a proposal that his party worked with Perikatan Nasional (PN) for the coming Malacca polls.

He added that it was up to the party to make a final decision on the matter. 

“I don’t think there is a problem for me to propose the cooperation and I don’t think it’s a problem because it’s just a proposal,” the Arau Umno chief told The Malaysian Insight. 

He was commenting on a complaint made against him by Arau Umno Youth chief Syed Atif Syed Abu Bakar.

The division’s youth wing rejected the proposal and wanted the party to take action against Shahidan. 

Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had previously said the party would go it alone in the state polls, once again reiterating his decision not to work with Bersatu and PAS in PN. 

Syed Atif yesterday sent a letter complaining of Shahidan’s disciplinary violations to Umno secretary-general Ahmad Maslan. The letter went viral today. 

In the letter, Syed Atif claimed that Shahidan had violated the party’s stand when he raised Bersatu’s flag together with Umno’s for a party event. 

He claimed that Shahidan circulated a draft motion to branch heads and branch-wing heads, which was clearly against the party’s decision, and included making a speech that went against the party’s decision.

Syed Atif said Shahidan’s actions took place during the opening ceremony of the Arau Umno branch last Sunday at the Kubang Gajah service centre.

However Shahidan, who is also Arau MP, said he did not care about the complaints of disciplinary violations against him. 

He said the problem with the flag was actually a technical issue because it had been installed in the hall’s compound in conjunction with Muhyiddin Yassin’s visit when he was still the prime minister on March 5. 

Muhyiddin is also Bersatu president and PN chairman. 

Shahidan said meeting organisers were unable to remove the flag before the branch meeting was held. 

At the same time, Shahidan said he had also lodged a complaint against Syed Atif to the Umno management but was not entertained. 

“Actually there is no problem, but I don’t care if he wants to make a complaint because I also have a complaint against him. 

“I lodged a complaint for him to be disciplined because of his sloppy mouth and for being rude. However, no action was taken,” he said. 

Shahidan had supported the Muhyiddin government even when Zahid and others in Umno had withdrawn their support for the prime minister. 

Umno vice president Ismail Sabri Yaakob had then replaced Muhyiddin as prime minister, and had named Shahidan as the Federal Territories minister. – October 20, 2021.