KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 31— Only a Kelantan PAS-Umno unity government can rebuild the state which has suffered one of the worst seasonal monsoon floods in decades, the owner of  Malay-language newspaper Sinar Harian said today.

In an interview with Sinar Harian owner Datuk Dr Hussamuddin Yaacub, the paper quoted him as saying that all parties needed to take stock and learn from the floods tragedy, and that any hope of restoring Kelantan’s infrastructure and economy cannot be done without a smooth cooperation between Putrajaya and the state government.

“If it is just cooperation it will not suffice, there will be fighting. What Kelantan Umno and PAS must do is combine under a unity government to restore the state. There is no other way,” the Kelantanese businessman said.

He stressed that Kelantan’s development had long been hampered by incessant squabbling between the Barisan Nasional (BN) federal government and the Kelantan PAS government.

“By maintaining the current relationship (between Putrajaya and Kelantan), it will not be enough and the people of Kelantan will suffer.

“The Kelantan people have had to suffer for years and even migrate because of squabbling between the two governments,” Hussamuddin added, saying he received feedback from many Kelantanese entrepreneurs and leaders who supported the idea of a PAS-Umno unity government.

“Stop the politicking, for the people to restore Kelantan.

“We will need all our resources, or else more people will suffer.”

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, upon returning from his trip to the US, said the federal government will allocate RM500 million to aid flood victims but it is not clear if this would include helping businesses cope with losses.

Kelantan was the first state to be hit by what has been dubbed as “Malaysia’s tsunami”, followed by Terengganu, Pahang, and later, Perak and Johor.

More of 240,674 people have been evacuated from their homes in Terengganu, Kelantan, Pahang, Perak, Johor, Perlis, Selangor and Kedah.

Although floodwaters are gradually receding in Kuala Krai and Kota Baru, weather forecasters have warned that the worst is not yet over in Kelantan, Pahang and Terengganu.