KUALA LUMPUR – Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz did not hide his disdain over the actions of several Umno MPs who backed away from an initial agreement to continue supporting the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government.
The senior politician reserved his harshest words for former party president Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who yesterday questioned the actual number of Barisan Nasional (BN) MPs who back the government.
In a Facebook post, Najib had asked what happened to claims that 40 BN lawmakers have expressed support for PN, after Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced on Thursday that 31 representatives from the coalition are behind the administration.
“So, does the PM8 (Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin) still have majority support if the number 40 has dropped to 21 or 31?” he had posted.
This is in relation to claims made by several Umno leaders previously that 40 BN MPs had attended a meeting on July 29 voicing their support for the government.
Only party president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and adviser Tan Sri Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah were not present at that meeting.
Infuriated by Najib’s remark, Padang Rengas MP Nazri lashed out at Umno lawmakers who pulled the plug on the government, describing them as “liars”.
“Please send my message to Najib. The 40 MPs who met that day, we discussed and agreed that we don’t mind backing PN, even if we don’t support Muhyiddin. That b****** Najib even spoke, and so did Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan (Pontian MP).
“Now, he (Najib) turned around and is poking fun, saying only 31 MPs are backing PN. That’s because he lied,” he told The Vibes today.
“They are liars. I dare them, if they want, to come and meet me and let’s talk. Bloody liars,” he said, adding that the 40 MPs had initially agreed to back the administration as they wanted to remain in government.
Nazri’s statement comes on the back of intense infighting between Umno factions, with one supposedly firmly behind Zahid, and the others comprising largely MPs in government positions.
Members of both camps have consistently issued contradicting statements, including over the party’s official decision to withdraw support for the prime minister and the government on Tuesday.
During the announcement, Najib, Ahmad Maslan and Tengku Razaleigh were among 10 Umno MPs who joined Zahid in a special press conference. – The Vibes, August 7, 2021
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