Selangor Umno ready to discuss state polls seat allocations with Pakatan, says Megat Zulkarnain

SHAH ALAM: Selangor Umno is ready to discuss and negotiate seat allocations with Pakatan Harapan for the upcoming state election.

State Umno chief Datuk Megat Zulkarnain Omardin said party president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has been notified of the number of seats that have been identified.

"We are ready to sit down and discuss and it's up to PH to decide on how to initiate discussions in the spirit of the unity government," Megat Zulkarnain told a press conference at the Selangor Umno headquarters Friday (Feb 3) evening.

According to Megat Zulkarnain, the seats were identified based on certain factors.

"We may not have won any parliamentary seats (in the general election) but we still have votes, especially in the Malay majority areas, and this will be the basis of the discussion," he said.

He said a discussion regarding seat allocations and negotiations would also be held soon amongst the state Barisan Nasional component parties as well as with Friends of BN.

On another matter, Megat Zulkarnain thanked former Selangor Umno chief Tan Sri Noh Omar for having helmed the state chapter for many years.

Noh was recently sacked by the party's supreme council due to alleged indiscipline.

He added Selangor Umno stood behind the decision made by the party leadership.

"All the 22 divisions (in Selangor Umno) 'condoned and uphold' the decision of the disciplinary board and the supreme council," he said.

Umno recently sacked and suspended several party leaders who included Noh, former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin and party vice-president Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Husein.

Noh, a six-term Tanjong Karang MP, was also a long-time Tanjong Karang division chairman.

"I will be going to the Tanjong Karang division and meeting all the branch and division leaders to ask them to continue working for the upcoming election,” said Megat Zulkarnain.

He also said the state Umno leadership had decided in Friday's meeting that any information related to current happenings must only be relayed through official channels to prevent confusion.

Other matters discussed, said Megat Zulkarnain, was the election of the divisions’ committee members on March 11 and Umno supreme council members on March 18.

"I have asked our members to convey to us their intent to contest for any posts at the division and supreme council levels," he added.

Also at the meeting were party veterans Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib and Datuk Salamon Selamat.