KUALA LUMPUR – As Umno kicks off the second day of its General Assembly 2020 (PAU20), one of its biggest “allies” in the government is conspicuously not in attendance.
Bersatu leaders or representatives were nowhere to be seen as the gathering got under way, an absence made clearer as Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan individually introduced non-Umno leaders who were present.
The non-Umno leaders were mentioned prior to party president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s policy speech.
The allies present were heads of Umno’s traditional partners in Barisan Nasional – MCA president Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong and MIC president Tan Sri S.A. Vigneswaran.
Also in attendance were leaders of Umno’s Muafakat Nasional (MN) partner PAS, represented by its president, Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang and deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man.
Meanwhile, Arthur Joseph Kurup, deputy president of Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS), was also at the meet, despite not being part of the BN or MN fold.
PBRS is one of the component parties of Sabah-based alliance of Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), which also includes Umno and Bersatu. Both GRS and Umno are major components of the shaky PN coalition.
Bersatu’s absence from the general assembly, the party’s most significant annual meeting, will likely intensify speculation of a falling out between the two parties.
Bersatu is led by by Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who is also prime minister. Muhyiddin, formerly an Umno veteran, was the party’s deputy president at the time he was expelled from Umno in 2016, leading to him co-founding Bersatu.
It is a common practice for Umno’s political allies to witness in person the policy speech by the party’s president.
However, it is not known whether Umno had extended an official invitation to any Bersatu leader.
As of late, Umno has threatened to break ties with Bersatu in the next general election owing to its perceived role in playing second fiddle in the PN coalition that has led to many grouses among Umno’s top brass and grassroots members. – The Vibes, March 28, 2021
