KUALA LUMPUR – Having a Perikatan Nasional presidential council would mean Umno will be privy to government information, as party president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is not part of the cabinet.
Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan said the party agrees with the proposal to form a PN presidential council as a platform to discuss government policies and strengthen inter-party cooperation.
He said Umno had proposed the setting up of the council as it will play an important role in deciding government policies.
“The proposal to set up a presidential council was, in fact, a suggestion by Umno. I was asked to represent the president (Zahid) in a meeting with the prime minister about a month back and I had suggested this,” he said at the Parliament building today.
PN secretary-general Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin had earlier today said the PN supreme council meeting yesterday had decided to set up the presidential council, which will comprise all PN leaders.
On the Gerik parliamentary and Bugaya state seat by-elections, Ahmad suggested that an emergency be declared for the latter, as in the case of Batu Sapi, while the by-election in Gerik could go ahead subject to health SOP.
He said since Gerik is a Covid-19 green zone, the by-election can still be held with strict SOPs in place and without door-to-door campaigning.
The Election Commisson has set the by-election for the two seats to be held simultaneously on January 16, next year, while nomination day is fixed for January 4 and early voting on January 12. – Bernama, December 2, 2020
