UMNO will never accept or allow the act of 'party-hopping' by any member of any party within the unity government, said its secretary-general Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi.
He issued the statement in the wake of claims suggesting that Umno Supreme Council member Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz was leaving the party for PKR.
"The culture of poaching members or leaders from each others' parties will only cause arguments and fights that threaten the stability of the coalition
"This could ultimately destabilise the Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional cooperation," he said.
After PKR’s special congress today, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim told reporters that the party does not invite people to join it, but remained “open” to such discussions.
"There have been initial discussions. The principle is that we adopt an open approach, welcoming individuals who can contribute to the party but we do so in a proper manner to maintain good relationships with other parties, including Umno and our allies," he said.
Tengku Zafrul, who is the International Trade and Investment Minister, said earlier that he would issue a statement to address the issue.
Zafrul’s ministerial role is set to end in December 2025 due to the term limit of his senatorship, which prevents reappointment.
Speculation has been rife that Tengku Zafrul is planning to leave Umno to join PKR in an apparent bid to become the next Selangor menteri besar.
However, Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Tengku Zafrul has not informed him of any plans to leave, while PKR denied receiving a formal application from him. - December 15, 2024
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