Ahmad Maslan: Umno’s state election moves are strategy, not ‘backstabbing’ of Unity Government partners

SEBERANG PERAI, Aug 18 — Umno’s electoral arrangements in several states are strategic decisions aimed at securing Barisan Nasional (BN) victories, not an act of “backstabbing” its partners in the Unity Government, party Supreme Council member Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan said today.

He said Umno and Pakatan Harapan (PH) did not have state-level agreements in Johor, Negeri Sembilan and Melaka, unlike in Penang, where he said there was an agreement.

“In Johor and Negeri Sembilan, we do not have an agreement. We do not have an agreement with PH. Penang is all right; Penang has an agreement,” he told reporters after officiating the CIDB Northern Region Contractor Convention 2026: NexGen Builders at the PICCA Convention Centre @ Butterworth Arena here.

“But in Melaka too, there is no agreement,” he added.

Ahmad said party leaders had a responsibility to choose the approach most likely to deliver the best possible electoral result, particularly in states where three-cornered contests could split Malay votes.

“If we do not take strategic steps in Negeri Sembilan, BN will lose. Which party wants to lose?” he said.

“That is the strategic step taken to win,”

He said Umno’s Supreme Council meeting on August 28 would discuss the party’s approach in Melaka.

“In Melaka, we will wait for the decision. Next week, on the 28th, we have a Supreme Council meeting and, certainly, the matter will be discussed,” he said.

Ahmad said PH should understand that the agreement that mattered was the one reached at federal level, which Umno continued to honour.

“Our important agreement is at the federal level and we are fulfilling that agreement,” he said.

“The president and BN chairman has repeatedly stated that we will remain with the Unity Government until the end of the term because we have signed an agreement,”

He said there was no basis to accuse Umno of betrayal when it pursued state-level strategies without breaching any agreement.

“When we want to win and do not want to lose, and the strategic steps taken do not breach any state-level agreement, why should that be disputed?” he said.

He was responding to claims that Umno had “backstabbed” PH through its state-level electoral moves.

Ahmad said he believed there were likewise no state-level agreements between Umno and PH in Sabah and Sarawak, adding that state leaders had the right to adopt approaches aimed at maximising their electoral chances.

“State parties have the right to maximise victory and ensure victory. Elections are meant to be won; surely we do not enter an election to lose,” he said.

He said the term “backstabbing” should not be used to describe decisions made by political parties to safeguard their survival and electoral prospects.

“Strategic steps taken for the survival of a party should not be called backstabbing,” he said.

He also cited DAP’s decision to hold a vote at its recent party congress on whether to remain in the Unity Government as an example of a party taking a strategic step to address differences among its members.

“That too was their strategic move,” he said. “We also take strategic steps,”

Ahmad reiterated that Umno and BN had to choose the route that offered victory in Negeri Sembilan.

“If Malays are split in a three-cornered contest in Negeri Sembilan, Umno-BN will lose. So we must choose the path to victory,” he said.

“This is a strategic move, not backstabbing,” he stressed.