KUALA LUMPUR – Umno grassroots do not seem as open as party president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi in allowing its MPs to back PKR’s bid for Putrajaya.
One member Zamani Said did not mince his words about the party’s leadership – or lack thereof.
“It is confusing, baffling. How can the president maintain that he will not stop Umno MPs from supporting Anwar Ibrahim if they want to?
“As the number one leader of the largest Malay party, he (Zahid) needs to set a clear direction, not this wait-and-see approach. How can he leave his men to their own devices?”
He was referring to Zahid’s position vis-à-vis the coming Tuesday meeting between PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
Two weeks ago, Anwar announced that he had effectively toppled the Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin-led Perikatan Nasional (PN) government with the support of 15 Umno MPs.
Umno is the lynchpin party of Barisan Nasional, which is part of PN, while Muhyiddin heads Bersatu.
Later, a list of pro-Anwar Umno MPs that was circulated on social media had 21 names.
Umno-PKR: strange bedfellows
On a poser over a possible political cooperation between Umno and PKR, Zamani and another Umno member Shahila Zahari rejected the idea.
Both of them said Umno will suffer badly if the upper echelons decided to go ahead with it.
“There is a fine line between political fluidity and unprincipled politics,” said Shahila.
“Teaming up with Anwar and PKR is a downward slide that I don’t think Umno can climb out of it without losing grassroots support.”
Shahila, however, was not surprised with Zahid’s position on Anwar’s latest bid to seize federal power.
“He once said in the run-up to Umno’s 2018 general assembly, that the party was open to establish a unity government (with Pakatan Harapan) before or after Anwar became prime minister.
“So, I guess, this is him staying true to that,” she said.
Anwar’s latest bid is not his first.
On September 16, 2008, Anwar said he had enough parliamentary backing to topple the then BN government and gave then Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi a two-week deadline to allow for a peaceful transition of power.
“He didn’t become PM then and I don’t think he will become PM this Tuesday,” said Umno member Shafie Mohamad.
“PKR is not a strong party. It has little clout in other states aside from Penang and Selangor.
“Why should Umno jeopardise its image and credibility over a party that only won two seats in the latest Sabah election? Zahid should focus on trying to make things better instead of allowing suspicions to fester within.” – The Vibes, October 10, 2020
