Umno councillor quits over remarks about DAP at recent PAU

PERMATANG Pauh UMNO division chief Datuk Mohd Zaidi Mohd Said has resigned as a Seberang Perai city councillor over remarks he made about DAP at the recent UMNO general assembly.

Penang executive councillor H’ng Mooi Lye shared a copy of Zaidi’s resignation letter addressed to him, with copies also sent to Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, Penang UMNO chief Datuk Musa Sheikh Fadzir, and Seberang Perai City Council (MBSP) chairman Datuk Baderul Amin Abdul Hamid.

In the letter, Zaidi apologised for his remarks during the assembly in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, where he represented Penang UMNO.

In his speech at the UMNO assembly, Zaidi claimed DAP was uneasy over efforts to bring Malays and Muslims together because the party feared losing political power.

He claimed DAP and PKR depended on each other for political power and described UMNO president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's cooperation with PKR as a political strategy that would eventually weaken DAP.

In his letter dated Sept 14, Zaidi said that after reviewing his speech at the Umno gathering, he realised that he needed to exercise greater caution when expressing views concerning parties that jointly form the state government.

Zaidi said his remarks could have created a wrong perception of DAP, particularly in the context of cooperation within the Penang government.

He said he had considered the matter carefully and decided to take full responsibility for his mistake by resigning. Zaidi stressed that the decision was made voluntarily and without pressure from any party.

H’ng thanked Zaidi for apologising and taking responsibility by stepping down.

He said Zaidi’s letter recognised that the state government led by Chow was committed to the people’s welfare, tolerance and responsible administration. – September 16, 2026