Azmin claimed that he had received information that certain Umno leaders and grassroots members were keen to cooperate with PN in the Melaka state election scheduled for Nov 20, adding that the coalition had not shut its doors to negotiating with the party.

“But this is an internal problem of Umno in which we should not interfere. The party needs to make a final decision on whether it wants to cooperate or not.

“Let the people judge which party is rejecting unity and which one is for establishing cooperation for the sake of stability in the state and country,” Bernama reported the PN election director as saying after attending a meeting with the Masjid Tanah PN polls team here.

On Oct 22, Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had said the party was sticking to its decision not to cooperate with Bersatu in any election.

Umno secretary-general Ahmad Maslan, however, said it is still not too late for the party to establish cooperation with any party for the election, adding that the Supreme Council will make a final decision at its meeting on Thursday.

Azmin, who is also PN information chief and Bersatu Supreme Council member, said the Umno-led BN should decide fast to ensure that the party’s election machinery could make more effective preparations at the grassroots level in the state.

“PN component parties Bersatu, PAS and Gerakan are ready for nominations, but Umno has yet to make the final decision on its cooperation. We hope for an early decision and not a last-minute one,” he said.