KUALA LUMPUR – Another Umno leader has dismissed the Perikatan Nasional government label, saying the current government should rather be called a mixed one.
Umno secretary-general and Pontian MP Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan posted on Twitter last night that the new government, led by Umno’s DAtuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, is not the previous PN administration.
“For me, this is not a Perikatan Nasional government but a mixed one comprising Barisan Nasional, PNl, Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) and Parti Bersatu Sarawak (PBS).
“PN only has Bersatu, PAS, Gerakan, Sabah Star – and not BN, GPS and PBS.”
He is not the only one fighting the PN label.
Bersama @BernamaTV selama 15 minit mlm ini jawab beberapa soalan isu semasa
— Ahmad b Maslan (@ahmadmaslan) August 21, 2021
Kjaan baru ini pada saya bukan Kjaan PN tapi adalah Kjaan #Malaysia yg dianggotai parti2 #BN #PN #GPS #PBS. Ini kjaan campuran.
PN hanya dianggotai oleh #PPBM #PAS #Gerakan #Star & tidak BN, GPS & PBS. pic.twitter.com/HvfM5IvK0c
Yesterday, Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan had said the PN brand as the federal government has ended, and that Umno under BN had never been a PN component party.
“Alhamdullillah DS Ismail Sabri has been appointed as the ninth prime minister. Therefore, the PN brand as the federal government ends today. Before this, BN was not even a PN component party.
“The previous government was a coalition between BN, PN, Parti Bersatu Sabah and Gabungan Parti Sarawak, and not a PN government.
“I don’t know who the smarty pants was that called the previous government a PN government,” Rahman had said in a Facebook post.
The label issue comes after former prime minister and Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s congratulatory remarks yesterday.
Instead of acknowledging that Ismail Sabri hails from Umno and the BN coalition, Muhyiddin said he will continue supporting his successor and the PN government.
“I give my full support to him and insyaAllah will continue helping the PN government deliver the best service to the people, particularly during the nation’s recovery phase,” Muhyiddin said on Facebook.
Meanwhile, Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali told reporters after a late night meeting at Premiera Hotel yesterday: “I believe Ismail Sabri will continue to lead the PN government. Our focus is just to mitigate the situation now with the Covid-19 pandemic and accelerate economic recovery.
“That should be the focus.”
Larut MP Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin remained tight-lipped about the purpose of Bersatu’s late night meeting, saying it was merely to discuss current issues.
“The meeting today was just to discuss recent events, particularly the political struggle.
“That was all we did for the future to ensure we are united, given the prime minister received support from Bersatu and PN component parties.” – The Vibes, August 22, 2021
