'Where did Umno get the confidence it can win Kedah solo?' - Sanusi

ALOR SETAR - “Where did that confidence come from?”

That was the reaction of Perikatan Nasional (PN) election director Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor to a statement by Alor Setar Umno division chief Datuk Seri Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah, who said Umno has a strong chance of winning back seats in the Kedah State Legislative Assembly if it contests solo in the 16th General Election (GE16).

Questioning Bashah’s remarks made at the 2025 Umno General Assembly, Sanusi said the claim was not backed by facts.

“Which records and data is Bashah referring to? Where does that confidence come from?

“In GE14, Umno contested solo and won only three state seats in Kedah. At that time, Umno had not yet cooperated with DAP and Pakatan Harapan (PH). PH won 18 seats, while Pas secured 15,” he said, as quoted by Kedah Online.

Bashah, who is also a former Kedah menteri besar said he was confident Malay support would return to Umno after voters realised their past mistakes.

Sanusi added that after Umno formed a partnership with PH, Barisan Nasional (BN) lost all its seats, while PH was left with only three state seats and one parliamentary seat in Kedah in GE15.

He said the BN–PH cooperation in Kedah appeared loose and has failed to show unity in political operations.

“From my observation, BN and PH are like ‘killing’ each other. Even Kedah delegates admitted during the Umno General Assembly debates that the PH–BN Secretariat office is already gathering dust, with no joint meetings being held,” he said.

Sanusi also questioned the actions of Kedah PH chairman Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, who was alleged to be focusing only on the Padang Serai parliamentary seat as his personal target area ahead of the next general election.