PD POLLS | Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan has suggested that the party forgo the Port Dickson by-election, moments before the party's decision on the matter.

The party's political bureau was supposed to meet at 3pm today to discuss its annual general assembly matters as well as the by-election in Negeri Sembilan, where Mohamad is both the BN and Umno state leader.

Mohamad said Umno should not participate in the election, as it would legitimise PKR president-elect Anwar Ibrahim's effort to return to Parliament by forcing an unnecessary by-election.

"Vacating a seat intentionally with the sole purpose of giving way to someone seeking political positions violates the aims and moral objections of an election.

"Moreover, this is not the first time this has been done in this country," he said in a statement today, warning that if such practices were legitimised, it would give rise to similar incidents in the future.

Read more: Let Anwar 'menanglah' in PD, says PAS veep

Secondly, Mohamad warned that the by-election would get in the way of the party's primary focus, which was instituting internal reforms.

Lastly, he said that Umno should conduct a study on its level of support throughout the country before jumping into another by-election. He added that this would allow the party to devise short- and long-term strategies.

"Due to the abovementioned reasons, I believe that Umno does not need to participate in the Port Dickson by-election.

"Umno has a bigger role to play than to participate in a by-election that was engineered and did not take into account of the correct reasons of holding an election," said Mohamad, who was Negeri Sembilan menteri besar from 2004 to 2018.

PAS vice-president Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah too had opined that Anwar should be given a walkover, despite party president Abdul Hadi Awang saying earlier that it would field a candidate should Umno fail to do so.

It is uncertain when PAS' top leadership will meet to decide on the election.