PETALING JAYA: Former Barisan Nasional secretary-general Annuar Musa has urged Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to confirm if he had sent a letter to Muhyiddin Yassin on the party’s stance with PPBM.
He claimed that Zahid had written a letter to Muhyiddin on Feb 26, in which he informed the PPBM president the outcome of the Umno Supreme Council’s meeting at Janda Baik, Pahang, on Feb 19.
According to Annuar, the letter had declared that Umno would not cooperate with PPBM in the next general election and that the party would only work with the government until Parliament was dissolved.
The federal territories minister said members were also questioning the rationale behind the decision, especially when the date for GE15 has not been set.
“As (Umno) members, we have the right to know if this news is true. If it is, why were we not informed about the decision?
“Why have they decided not to cooperate (with PPBM), when a motion on the matter must be brought to the annual general assembly first? Why precede the AGM?” he said in a Facebook post.
Annuar said refusing to work with PPBM also meant rejecting the Perikatan Nasional coalition and its component parties – PAS, Gerakan, STAR and Parti Bersatu Sabah.
He asked if the move would bring any disadvantage to Umno.
He said other questions that arose were whether Umno had plans to work with other parties and if the decision was accepted by the BN Supreme Council.
“The grassroots have been left in the dark for a long time, without knowing the direction of the party.
“If a decision has truly been made, do not hide. Let the members and grassroots know … we are awaiting for an explanation.”
Previously, 143 of the 191 Umno divisions had called for the party to withdraw its cooperation with PPBM.
The Umno Supreme Council had said it would finalise its decision on the party’s stance on its ties with PPBM at its AGM, set for March 27 and 28.- FMT