Johor polls: PAS can't seem to let go but Umno is clear that Barisan will go it alone, says Khaled

JOHOR BARU: Umno has made its stand clear and will not work with PAS in the upcoming Johor state election, says party vice-president Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.

"The party (PAS) is like a divorcee who cannot move on after the marriage has fallen apart," he said in a Facebook post on Thursday (Feb 3).

He added that Umno would not waste any more time "entertaining" PAS, which had not brought it any benefit.

He said PAS, on the other hand, continued to attack, bad-mouth and threaten Umno.

Khaled said Umno and Barisan Nasional’s goal was to move on and put this episode (Umno's collaboration with PAS in Muafakat Nasional) behind them.

"Support from the multiracial society of Johor will determine a Barisan victory in the state election and our priority is to (secure) that support," he said.

Khaled said other component parties in the Barisan coalition must understand that they could no longer depend on Umno to win the election.

He added that they must come forward to convince non-Malay voters to vote for Barisan and restore the coalition to government.

"Increasing non-Malay support is important and we have to go back to the genuine power sharing formula," said Khaled.

He added that non-Malays were an important part of the country’s social, economic and political fabric, and the time had come for them to govern the state and the country together with Umno.

"Only Umno will ensure political stability and that power sharing is managed successfully," said Khaled.

He added that while Barisan is not perfect, the coalition is better than Pakatan Harapan and Perikatan Nasional at securing the political interests of non-Malays.