KUALA LUMPUR: Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (pix) said he has received information that many UMNO and Barisan Nasional (BN) Members of Parliament have stated their support for PKR president Anwar Ibrahim to form a new government.
Ahmad Zahid, who is also BN chairman, said Umno and BN were not Perikatan Nasional component parties and, as such, support for the PN government was from the individual MPs only.
“Umno and BN are not able to stop MPs supporting Anwar from meeting the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah) to make known his intention.
“I was told that many Umno and BN MPs have voiced their support (for Anwar). I respect their decision,” he said in a statement today.
The statement was referring to an announcement by the Opposition leader, who claimed to have a strong and formidable majority to form the next government.
At a press conference earlier today, Anwar, who is the Port Dickson MP, had also claimed that he had received consent to have an audience with the King yesterday (Sept 22) but it was postponed after His Majesty was admitted to the National Heart Institute for treatment.
Meanwhile, MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong stressed that the party, together with BN, would continue to support the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
“In my capacity as MCA president, I wish to stress that our stance is clear and that MCA and BN fully stand by Muhyiddin. Under his leadership, the government has been able to function well and successfully contained the Covid-19 pandemic in the past six months
“At the same time, we have revived the country’s economy during these difficult times as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said on Facebook today.
Wee likened Anwar’s announcement as sabotaging the country, which is busy trying to regain the confidence of investors to revive its economy and this was evident when the KLCI shed 10.5 points moments after the announcement.
He also said that Anwar was back to using his old tactics, like when he claimed to have the support of 30 MPs and was “headed for Putrajaya on Sept 16, 2008”, but nothing materialised.
“While speaking to reporters today, he (Anwar) can be seen to avoid touching on the total number of MPs who are with him.
“As a senior political leader, Anwar should be more responsible, especially when the Sabah state election is taking place. The country’s stability is far more important than his ambition to become prime minister,” he said. -Bernama
