THE newfound friendship between Umno and DAP is for the benefit of the nation, especially in moving away from politics based on race and religion, P. Ramasamy said today.

The Penang deputy chief minister said it would take time for supporters of both parties to accept this relationship.

“If Umno and DAP could sink their differences to come together, it is certainly an indicator that things are working well for the unity government.

“The coming together of these parties is an indication that moderate politics in the larger interest of the nation is the best formula for the future.

“Politics based on race and religion might be beneficial for short-term political interests, but unsustainable and dangerous for a country with different races and religions,” the DAP leader said in a statement.

He admitted that supporters of both parties would find it initially difficult to accept this new relationship.

“Years of hostility cannot be wiped out in a matter of a few months, but an important start has been made.

“It is just a matter of time before such friendship is accepted at levels,” he said.

He said the ties between Umno and DAP were possible under different political circumstances.

He added that the unity government’s excellent performance in the last few months had provided a conducive opportunity for Umno and DAP to come together.

“As it is, the years of hostility between both the parties have somewhat ceased to the extent of both working out strategies to enable the unity government to win in the state elections scheduled in June or July this year.

“In the last few weeks or so, Pakatan Harapan (PH) has engaged with Umno to discuss electoral strategies and how best they could work together to win in the state elections.

“Cooperation between PH and DAP in particular is seen as an appropriate measure to reduce extreme ethnic and religious politics in the country,” he said.

In recent days, top leaders of Umno and DAP have openly urged their members to support each other’s candidates as they face state elections against Perikatan Nasional. – May 22, 2023.