Selangor Amanah committee member Abbas Azmi said the state government had offered Umno 20 local council positions after discussions with all relevant parties.

“As a government comprising many component parties, a collective decision is a must,” he told FMT.

“We have discussed the distribution of seats, including for the previous state election, as well as local council posts.”

Abbas said each party was informed of its respective quota for local council positions after a discussion involving party representatives.

Each party was supposed to fill its quota with its candidates, who would then be submitted to the state government for a decision.

Last Saturday, FMT reported that Selangor Umno had decided to hand back the 20 local council posts to Pakatan Harapan (PH), although it denied doing so as a sign of protest.

Selangor Umno chairman Megat Zulkarnain Omardin said the decision to return the posts was to rebuff claims that it was “greedy” and “demanding”.

However, Megat said Umno wanted all 373 village development and security committee chairman posts.

“We want PH to take care of the urban areas, while Umno can oversee the villages,” he said.

Yesterday, Selangor Umno Youth chief Imran Tamrin said that targeting rural areas would create continuity for the party, which aims to regain grassroots support.

This is especially since its president, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, and its assemblyman, Rizam Ismail, hold rural portfolios at the federal and state levels.

Abbas however said that any decision would need to be discussed. “It would be more unfair if a decision is made without discussion,” he said.

“It is more amicable if proposals are decided at the negotiating table.”