[ad_1]
PETALING JAYA: Padang Rengas deputy and Umno member, Nazri Aziz, has called for the termination of ties between his party and the PPBM, claiming that the Umno rank and file is asking for it.
“The rank and file firmly believes that we should work only with PAS in Muafakat Nasional, minus PPBM,” he told FMT.
His statement followed Umno’s vice president Mohamad Hasan’s call for party chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to give the party “clear instructions” after what he called “a disappointing” election in Sabah.
Zahid has said that the Supreme Council of Umno would decide on the matter.
Welcoming Mohamad’s call and Zahid’s response, Nazri said PPBM did not have the kind of grassroots support in Peninsular Malaysia that it appeared to have in Sabah.
“Umno and PAS have grassroots support, and we have shown it by winning big in six by-elections since GE14, beating PPBM twice,” he said.
“So we must listen to the grassroots.”
Nazri’s comments echo those made by Mohamad in August, when he told the FMT that he had received comments from the rank and file telling him that they were not comfortable with PPBM’s intention to join Muafakat Nasional.
“Many members of Umno still remember the insults, disparaging and disrespectful comments that were thrown at us and still feel hurt,” said Mohamad in reference to the statements that PPBM leaders made before GE14.
Muafakat Nasional is an alliance between Umno and PAS. Together with PPBM, the alliance forms the flexible Perikatan Nasional coalition, which, with the support of the governing Sarawak GPS coalition, now leads the federal government.
Nazri said that he, as Umno’s division chief, knew the feelings on the ground, adding that the party leadership should listen to the rank and file, “the people who will vote for us.”
Political analyst Awang Azman Pawi from Universiti Malaya told the FMT that he believed that Umno needed to make a bold and firm decision about his cooperation with PPBM.
“The problem is not that Umno wants to be dominant, but that Umno has not received due recognition and respect,” he said. “The party has given too much margin in terms of seats and positions.
“I think the leaders and grassroots of Umno are upset with what they see as insincerity” at PPBM.
He also said there appeared to be a split in Umno, noting from public comments that some of the cabinet members did not appear to be on the same page as those who are not part of the government.
He added that Umno would have to rethink its position on power sharing if its ambition was to be the dominant party.
“I believe that if Umno continues his cooperation with PPBM, he will continue to feel the bitterness of losing his traditional seats to PPBM in the name of political cooperation.”
Political scientist Chandra Muzaffar said it was clear that there were various factions in Umno with different views, although they all appeared to be “obsessed with power and dominance.”
“For me, this is wrong,” he said. “As a party that had power for decades and then lost it because it was perceived as corrupt, you should reflect on what is wrong with the party and try to correct the mistakes.
“This should be the main agenda. But if you look at Umno today, it doesn’t seem like anyone wants to do an examination of conscience or rectify the deficiencies. They continue to support leaders who have questionable backgrounds and are fighting for power. “
He said that if Umno lost his relevance it would not be because of PPBM but because of his inability to join in wanting to search his soul and make the necessary changes.
