UMNO's decision to end cooperation with Bersatu will see a new political alignment

KUALA LUMPUR: UMNO's decision to sever cooperation with Bersatu to face the 15th General Election (GE15) is expected to see a new alignment in the country's political landscape.

Ilham Center Research Fellow, Associate Prof Dr Hamidin Abd Hamid, said the matter will also affect the quality of political players by GE15.

“If we look at the letter sent by the UMNO president, I think it clearly shows that UMNO has no intention of cooperating with Bersatu ahead of the next GE.

“The question here is not only about UMNO's intention to cooperate with which party.

“What is more important is the extent to which UMNO's decision will form a new alignment in the context of political quality when facing the next GE.

"In this context, we want to see who UMNO will work with and who will work with Bersatu to form the Perikatan Nasional (PN) as well as a new question that will dominate discussions between the parties in the near future," he told Astro AWANI on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Dr Hamidin also linked UMNO's confidence to part with Bersatu following the party's series of victories in the previous by-elections (PRK).

He opined this gives the impression that the grassroots support for the party was still strong.

Earlier, Bersatu in a statement today informed that its political bureau meeting yesterday chaired by its President, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin discussed the UMNO President's letter dated February 26.

Bersatu Secretary-General, Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin said the political bureau took note of the decision of the UMNO Supreme Council (MT) that there will be no cooperation with Bersatu in GE15.