KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 9 — Melaka Pakatan Harapan (PH) chief Adly Zahari today defended the coalition’s decision to field two former Umno members in the state election.
In an interview with Malaysiakini published today, Adly acknowledged the decision was not without controversy, and that PH leaders have come under heavy internal criticism as well.
“I cannot deny that Idris has the experience in state administration, which I believe Melaka can benefit from. And so was the case with Nor Azman, who also has his experience and strength.
“Harapan can make use of what they have to drive Melaka forward,” Adly told the news portal.
“In my opinion, the most important is to see how the coalition was formed and how far its policies can be accepted by them,” he added.
Datuk Seri Idris Haron was Melaka chief minister from 2013 to 2018. Adly was his successor when PH came to power in GE14 until its collapse early last year.
Datuk Nor Azman Hassan was a former Melaka state executive councillor. Both he and Idris were among the four assemblymen who withdrew support for Umno’s Datuk Seri Sulaiman Md Ali last, triggering the collapse of the state government and forcing the November 20 election even as the country is still wrestling with Covid-19.
However, Adly likened the decision to take in Idris and Nor Azman to the time PH accepted Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Bersatu into its fold prior to GE14, saying it was based on the understanding to strive for a bigger picture than the sum of its parts.
“This was also the basis used when we chose all 28 candidates for the state election, they come from various backgrounds and bring along their experience which can help take Melaka towards excellence,” Adly was quoted as saying.
“Of course, seeing that we are taking new people and their background is Umno, it is not easy. When Harapan accepted Mahathir, it was also not easy then.
“But we also looked into several things that became the basis for our decision. For one, they have been kicked out from Umno, so they no longer have the party’s fundamentals anymore. This is one of the things in our evaluation.
“We believe that we can work together. It would not be easy from the start, but if they can accept Harapan’s culture, accept our policies, and champion good governance on top of working for the rakyat, then I believe Harapan can excel in this election,” he was quoted saying.
