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KUALA LUMPUR: The United Malaysia National Organization (UMNO) will maintain its support for the government of Muhyiddin Yassin, it said early Tuesday (October 27) after a supreme council meeting Monday night.
UMNO President Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the council agreed that the party would not cooperate with the opposition Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and the Democratic Action Party (DAP).
“The members of the UMNO parliament will continue to support the Perikatan National (PN) government,” Zahid said in his statement.
“The UMNO urges that the principle of cooperation be improved, which must revolve around respect and political consensus,” he added.
The party called for a national reconciliation initiative or a peace agenda to be launched quickly.
Zahid also called on the government to take a more inclusive approach that overlooks the ideological differences of parties in managing the COVID-19 pandemic and the negative economic effects suffered by Malaysians.
The supreme council meeting was called to decide whether the party would continue to support the prime minister, following the latter’s failed attempt to declare a state of emergency.
The UMNO is the largest party in the current ruling PN bloc, with 39 of the 222 seats in parliament.
READ: Malaysian King Rejects State of Emergency Proposal: What This Means For The Next Budget Debate
Earlier on Monday, lawmakers from Barisan Nasional (BN) gathered at the Putra World Trade Center for a discussion on the country’s political developments.
Former Prime Minister Najib Razak said that several BN parliamentarians gave their views and opinions on the position of the coalition within the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government and the direction the UMNO should take.
“No matter how, UMNO cannot be broken. It should act as a single block. This is the opinion of all the members, ”he said.
READ: Onus is in Prime Minister Muhyiddin to reach opposition, says PKR communications chief on political stability
UMNO Vice President Hishamuddin Hussein, also BN Treasurer General, had said: “Whatever decision we make, it must be based on what is good for the rakyat (the people) and the country.”
The Muhyiddin government appears to be increasingly under siege, with UMNO previously agitating for a more favorable redistribution of government positions for party deputies, while opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim claims he has the majority to become prime minister.
Last week, Muhyiddin had asked the King of Malaysia, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, to declare a state of emergency amid the COVID-19 crisis and political instability, which he would have seen suspended. the next parliamentary session.
This was rejected by the king after consulting the Malay Ruling Council on Sunday.
