DEPUTY Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has claimed that members of the opposition have asked to meet him and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to discuss working together in the next general election.
Zahid said he did not agree to a meeting because he was "not ready".
"I am not ready to meet them. I am reminded that I refuse to be bitten twice by the same snake in the same place," he said in his opening speech at the Tebrau Umno division' meeting in Johor Baru yesterday.
Zahid reiterated that Umno has not held official discussions with PAS to form a pact.
"If at all there were any meetings between leaders and members of the two parties, it was done unofficially or in a personal capacity.
"If Umno wishes to negotiate with other political parties, it must ensure the party is in a strong position first," he said.
Zahid had earlier denied claims of such talks between Umno and PAS. He said he had not met with leaders of the Islamist party.
On the state of Johor, Zahid said he believed that Umno and its Barisan Nasional allies would continue to govern the state after the next state elections, provided the party members, especially at the branch level, remained united. – July 27, 2024.
