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KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s Islamist party Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) said it wants Umno, its partner in Perikatan Nasional (PN), to explain its intention to leave the ruling coalition amid speculation that Umno MPs are among those who support the candidacy of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim. to overthrow the government of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.
PAS Vice President Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah said his party was surprised by Umno’s review of its support for the PN, as there had been no prior discussions on the issue.
“I only found out after reading it on an online portal today. If it is Umno’s decision, we (PAS) cannot do anything about it. However, I wonder what Umno’s true intention is,” said Datuk Mohd Amar. . on Wednesday (October 14), as quoted by The New Straits Times.
PAS Vice President Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said the party would seek an explanation from Umno, through Muafakat Nasional (MN), about his plan to leave the PN.
Umno’s chief information officer, Ahmad Maslan, announced on Tuesday night that the party would withdraw from PN, unless new terms of cooperation are negotiated.
His announcement came just hours after Datuk Seri Anwar, who leads the main opposition alliance Pakatan Harapan, met with the king of Malaysia and presented him with the total number of lawmakers backing him to become the next prime minister.
There has been a swirl of rumors that many of the MPs who are supporting Anwar came from Umno.
The king had initially scheduled an audience with opposition leaders Lim Guan Eng and Mohamad Sabu, and Umno President Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, to verify Anwar’s claim. But the meetings were postponed until after a two-week movement restriction in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur and the state of Selangor to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The partial lockdown went into effect on Wednesday.
PAS and Umno are also partners in a separate pact called Muafakat Nasional, but only PAS had officially joined Tan Sri Muhyiddin’s PN coalition.
Other component parties in PN include Mr. Muhyiddin’s Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia and Sarawak-based Parti Gabungan Sarawak (GPS).
Umno said his support for the PN only goes as far as confidence and in numbers (Umno has about a third of the parliamentary seats in PN), although the leaders of the Umno were appointed ministers in the cabinet.
Meanwhile, the base of Umno has asked the party leaders to define more clearly the position of the party within the PN.
The party treasurer in the state of Selangor, Mr. Johan Abdul Aziz, said that the party has not received enough recognition in the government despite providing the largest number of seats in Parliament because there is a lack of clarity in the informal association with PN.
“Umno is being treated unfairly despite having more seats in Parliament. All major ministries are run by people from Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia,” Johan said, adding that there must be justice and equality in all associations.
He also said that PN had done little to solve Umno’s problems after the 2018 general election.
“Little or nothing has been done to resolve the issue of Selangor Umno’s account which remains frozen,” he said.
This sentiment was shared by Selangor Umno Youth Chief Rizam Ismail and Hulu Selangor Umno Division Chief Mat Nadzari Ahmad Dahlan, who cited Muafakat Nasional as an example of a well-made partnership, according to The Star.
Umno’s general secretary, Annuar Musa, suggested Tuesday that Umno, Bersatu and PAS return to the “drawing board” and begin political cooperation again.
“It is not bad that Umno, Bersatu and PAS are coming back to the political design table so that we can achieve something better for Malaysia,” Annuar said, as quoted by The New Straits Times.
“We must also strengthen Malaysian unity, which is the foundation of the country’s political stability,
“Attention should be paid to saving people’s lives, curbing the Covid-19 pandemic, reviving the economy, easing the burden on the people, and making Malaysia a successful nation rather than a failed state.”
The deepening rift within the PN is mounting pressure on Prime Minister Muhyiddin, whose PN coalition has a slim majority in Parliament, with just 113 MPs in the 222 lower house seats.
Former Prime Minister Najib Razak has expressed his support for Umno to leave the PN.
In a lengthy post on Facebook, he said: “If we remain in the PN government, whether we like it or not, Umno and BN (Barisan Nasional) will also continue to be blamed if there are economic decisions that are questionable, or if the economy worsens .. This is despite the fact that there is no one from BN or PAS who is involved in economic decisions. “
In a letter to President Azhar Harun on September 25, Umno veteran and Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah demanded a vote of no confidence against Muhyiddin in the next session of Parliament.
But PAS Secretary General Takiyuddin Hassan came out in defense of Muhyiddin on Thursday and asked the parties to declare their support for the PN.
“The PAS urges the parties in charge of forming Her Majesty’s government, headed by Muhyiddin Yassin as prime minister, to offer undivided support, without any interference, to allow the proper and effective functioning of the government,” he said, quoted by The Malay Mail News. portal.
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