Ayer Kuning win ‘purified' Umno from past weaknesses, says Khaled
Umno vice-president Khaled Nordin said PAS seems unable to move on from its past relationship with DAP and envies anyone who befriends the party. (Bernama pic)
PETALING JAYA : Umno's win in the Ayer Kuning by-election is not just a political victory, but also a moral one that has helped 'purify' the party from its previous weaknesses, says party vice-president Khaled Nordin.
Khaled said the victory shows the people want cooperative and progressive politics.
'For Umno, Malaysia's political future is about the courage to take risks, especially in the current disruptive political landscape.
'Umno must explore all possibilities in developing future political understanding, including working with anyone as long as it does not harm the Malays and Islam, deny the rights of the various communities, and hold back our ambitions of making Malaysia the best nation,' he said in a statement.
Yesterday, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang said the victory stemmed from the Umno-DAP alliance, which he claimed sought to 'purify' DAP, a party which had allegedly 'openly taken anti-Islam stances'.
'This includes efforts to 'cleanse' DAP and Pakatan Harapan of blame in controversies such as illegal pig farming in predominantly Malay-Muslim areas,' Hadi said.
He said many Malay-Muslim voters in Ayer Kuning rejected the idea of a 'progressive and liberal Islam' and Umno-DAP's efforts to cleanse DAP's image, as these were against Islamic principles, especially in light of the health and environmental risks linked to pig farming.
However, Khaled said PAS seems unable to move on from its past relationship with DAP and envies anyone who befriends the party.
'In truth, it was PAS that 'purified' DAP by 'marrying' it several times through political cooperation in the form of the Chinese Consultative Committee, Barisan Alternatif, and Pakatan Rakyat.
'At that time, everything was halal to PAS,' he said.
Barisan Nasional's Yusri Bakir won the Ayer Kuning by-election after securing 11,065 votes for a 5,006-vote majority over his closest rival, Perikatan Nasional's Abdul Muhaimin Malek (6,059 votes) and Parti Sosialis Malaysia's KS Bawani (1,106 votes).
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