KUALA LUMPUR – Of the total 191 Umno division leaders, some 40 showed up at the party headquarters here today demanding the resignation of president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
The group was led by Ketereh Umno chief Tan Sri Annuar Musa, who was among prominent leaders dropped from contesting in the recently concluded polls.
Present was Pasir Salak Umno chief Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman, who was also dropped from contesting.
Barisan Nasional (BN) only won 30 parliamentary seats in the general election, of which 27 are from Umno.
The group objected to a supposed plan to form a unity government with Pakatan Harapan (PH), with leaders from both coalitions meeting earlier today.
Speaking at a press conference, Annuar said BN’s humiliating defeat, despite fielding many new, capable candidates and having an excellent poster boy in Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, show that the rakyat reject Zahid, not Umno.
“That’s why there was a Malay tsunami that went, not to PH, but Perikatan Nasional (PN). They don’t want Zahid, not because they want PN.”
He added that Umno members had remained loyal to its president but said the party’s GE15 defeat should be the final straw.
“When a leader fails, there should be accountability, it’s a moral obligation. The president must step down to allow fresh faces to take over.
“We have been loyal, and because of our camaraderie, we didn’t have the heart (to pressure Zahid to resign previously). But we paid a heavy price for that.”
Annuar also lambasted the supposed plan to cooperate with PH, saying this goes against the very decision that the party’s delegates and Umno Supreme Council have made previously.
“Even if we want to be a kingmaker, do we want to support a king whose track record has shown that they (PH) want us buried? It’s nothing personal, but Zahid must relinquish his position.”
Annuar, who is former Ketereh MP, said the majority of Umno prefer being in the opposition rather than crawl to their opponents and beg to sit in the government.
“We accept if we become the opposition. We can defend the rakyat as a respectable opposition,” he said, noting how the coalition had temporarily been on that bench following the 2018 general election.
Meanwhile, he said the meeting with PH earlier was a discussion.
“Umno hasn’t finalised anything. We have agreed to negotiate by forming a negotiation committee, and this is not exclusive to PH.
“Any decision made will be brought to the BN Supreme Council for a final decision.”
Today, PH and BN have formed state governments in Perak and Pahang. – The Vibes, November 21, 2022
