Zahid: Umno open to collaborations in Sabah polls
KOTA KINABALU (June 24): Umno is not ruling out the possibility of collaborating with other political coalitions in the upcoming Sabah state election, said its president, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Zahid, who is also the Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman, said Umno would contest under the BN banner and the balance scale logo.
When asked whether the party would go solo, he explained that discussions with various parties were ongoing.
'We've been meeting with many parties. There are no doors that are fully open, nor fully closed. In other words, space for negotiations and visits remains active,' he told reporters after launching the 2025 Premier Women Empowerment Programme by MARA at the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC) on Tuesday.
'We're hoping for a positive outcome. Naturally, it's not possible to go into detail right now since the state assembly has not yet been dissolved. But when the time comes, we may reach a conclusion to the meetings and negotiations,' he said.
Touching on the issue of seat distribution, Zahid said discussions had not yet reached that stage, nor had they addressed the matter of avoiding multi-cornered contests.
'The most important thing is to maintain an open attitude. Of course, we aim to find more allies than enemies,' he said, joking that BN-Umno would ideally like to contest and win every seat.
On another matter, he confirmed that Kalabakan Member of Parliament Datuk Andi Muhammad Suryady Bandy's Umno membership has been suspended.
Earlier in his speech, Zahid, who is also Deputy Prime Minister and Rural and Regional Development Minister, stressed the importance of engaging and supporting the younger generation.
'We must appreciate the needs of this generation and Generation Alpha. They are valuable assets. Their aspirations must be acknowledged, and their needs met, as we nurture them to become an even greater generation than ours,' he said.
Zahid emphasised that public satisfaction, often reflected through the ballot box, must be backed by concrete follow-up actions.
'We must never be complacent in our efforts to assist the people across all segments of society,' he said.
He also called on leaders to put aside differences, as the public is eager for real progress — not rhetoric.
'They're tired of empty promises and endless manifestos. A manifesto isn't a holy book, but it is still a promise that must be fulfilled,' he said. 'If promises are not kept, be prepared — the people will respond.'
Zahid reminded his party not to make excessive promises but instead focus on real needs.
'The people don't need fish — they need a fishing rod. If we speak of stability but offer only rhetoric, that's not enough,' he stressed.
He also highlighted MARA's role in empowering women not just through education, but entrepreneurship.
'MARA has organised many programmes that empower women, especially in business. Women have proven to be trustworthy — loans given to them have a low non-performing loan rate,' he said.
'This shows that government programmes are successfully raising the dignity and economic participation of women in entrepreneurship,' he added.
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