ALOR STAR: The unity government is urged to take bold steps for change by allowing Umno to contest seats that Pakatan Harapan (PH) lost to Perikatan Nasional (PN) in the next general election.
Kedah Umno information chief Datuk Shaiful Hazizy Zainol Abidin said the unity government needed to be willing to go beyond conventional norms to strengthen its candidate lineup for the 16th General Election (GE16).
He said this following Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid's comment that the party has the right to contest seats that PH lost to PN.
Shaiful said the unity government must acknowledge the significant threat in future polls and that extraordinary measures were required.
"There must be fairness for the Umno grassroots. In the previous state election, Umno and BN (Barisan Nasional) in Alor Star did not secure a single seat.
"Out of the three seats, not one was allocated to Umno and BN. It is certainly very challenging to maintain genuine cooperation (in the unity government)," he said in a statement today.
Shaiful proposed that a formula be devised to ensure each parliamentary seat has at least one state seat for BN, to provide a boost and fresh start for the local machinery.
"Political leaders in the unity government need to provide clear indications regarding seat allocations. "Discussions should be held now so that specific parties can focus and consider their positions," he said.
He added that election candidates for the unity government should be identified internally at an earlier stage.
"Umno and BN, together with the unity components, should provide exposure so that candidates can focus and adapt to voters and local issues."
Yesterday, Mahdzir was reported as saying that there was a justification for pushing for a review of seat allocations following the devastating results of the 15th state elections last August.
He was commenting on the resolution passed by the Alor Star Umno division demanding that BN contest the Kedah capital's parliamentary seat and one state seat within the constituency for GE16.