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KUALA LUMPUR – Umno President Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is on the firing line after declaring his support for opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, facing backlash from leaders within his own party, as well as from his allies in the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government of Malaysia.
The Straits Times understands that talks scheduled for Monday night (October 19) between the pro-Malay Muslim parties in Muafakat Nasional, Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) and Umno, were abandoned at 11 o’clock after a clash with Zahid .
Meanwhile, a Umno high council pow-wow to be held on Tuesday to discuss Zahid’s proposal to back Datuk Seri Anwar’s bid to become prime minister was also canceled, with party leaders disagreeing over the topic.
“The meeting was canceled after more than a third of the Supreme Council expressed their disgust at Zahid’s plan. The cracks are widening,” an Umno source told The Straits Times.
The main bone of contention, sources say, was whether these parties could work with Anwar and the Pakatan Harapan pact he leads.
They are opposed to working with PH and, in particular, its component party, the China-based Democratic Action Party (DAP). MN was formed to defend the rights and privileges of Malays, which it claimed were being eroded by PH at the behest of DAP when they were in government from May 2018 to February 2020.
The official reason for these canceled meetings was that there are currently movement restrictions in the capital and the surrounding state of Selangor to curb the rise in coronavirus infections. However, it is understood that the party leaders were already present at the Umno headquarters in Kuala Lumpur before the MN meeting was suspended.
Some PAS and Umno leaders have publicly expressed their disapproval of any pact with Anwar and DAP.
“I was NOT consulted, and this is NOT my position as a UMNO deputy. I want to state categorically that I do NOT support @anwaribrahim as prime minister. I have been consistent, NO ANWAR NO DAP,” tweeted Chancellor Hishammuddin Hussein, a former vice president of the match.
Since Anwar’s attempt to form a government was first unveiled in late September, there has been much speculation that he would be supported by a faction of Umno deputies. Anwar’s PH pact only has 91 MPs in the 222-member parliament, and it will need a minimum of 112 lawmakers to get a majority.
After an audience with the King on October 13, he claimed that he had the support of more than 120 members of Parliament.
Umno’s executive secretary, Sumali Reduan, denied on Saturday that the president’s office issued a letter to the Palace signed by Zahid and former Prime Minister Najib Razak pledging their support for Anwar.
But official sources confirmed that at a meeting over the weekend, Zahid, who does not hold any position in the federal administration, was questioned by PAS counterpart Hadi Awang and Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin about why he would cooperate with Anwar and DAP. .
Just hours before Monday’s MN meeting was canceled, Datuk Seri Hadi wrote on Facebook a post condemning the “busy politicking during Covid-19.”
“The public that is suffering from Covid-19 is confused by political upheavals that should not be prioritized, which multiplies more until they vomit,” he wrote.
The NP’s ruling pact officials have revealed to ST that in exchange for continuing to support the Tan Sri Muhyiddin government, Zahid is demanding a cabinet reshuffle that expands Umno’s role and that these appointments be based on “party hierarchy.” which would mean the positions granted to his followers within the party.
They add that Zahid is trying to reestablish his control over the party, after his authority was undermined by Muhyiddin, who has prioritized his own party lieutenants and Zahid’s rivals in Umno since he formed the government in March.
But the leaders of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia have asked their president Muhyiddin not to give in.
“We would rather face an election rather than reorganize the cabinet under the threat of an ally. After all, if the government collapses, the public would know that Anwar and Umno caused it,” a party official told ST.
The postponement of the MN and Umno meetings gives Zahid time to regroup. While Anwar has not specified exactly which MPs back him besides those from PH, a separate letter that has gone viral indicates that he counts Umno’s 39 as part of his support.
Some in PH believe that even if their planned counterattack fails, the fact that it caused major divisions in PN is considered a strategic victory.
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