KUALA LUMPUR，Mar 28: Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi says Barisan Nasional (BN) will “go solo” in the 15th general election (GE15).
Speaking to delegates at the party’s annual general assembly today, Zahid said this was decided by the BN Supreme Council at a meeting recently.
“I need to stress our stand in facing GE15, we stand by the Umno Supreme Council’s decision: No PPBM, no Anwar, no DAP.
“There have been no discussions with any of these parties, whether formally or informally. We will contest under the BN banner,” he said at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur (WTCKL) here today.
He added that he was unsure when GE15 will be held despite Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s promise that Parliament would be dissolved once the Covid-19 situation stabilises.
“It might be 2023 because they (the Perikatan Nasional-led government) have enough MPs,” he said, before taking a pause in his speech.
“We must do something,” he said, drawing cheers from the delegates. “I leave it to you (the representatives) to make a decision. This is the place to make the decision.”
He also said any party decision was not his own but the collective verdict of the Umno Supreme Council, dismissing claims that he had the power to veto or overrule the council’s decision.
He also reminded PAS that its alliance under Muafakat Nasional (MN) was yet to “fully bloom”, telling the Islamist party to continue what they had jointly started under its political pact.
“We agreed that any party in MN shouldn’t be hasty in joining any political pacts. Umno is firm about this and will not allow ourselves to sway easily.
“Tok Mat, Tuan Ibrahim, it’s never too late to continue what we had started with. Being with the other side doesn’t bring any gain, let alone getting more seats,” he said, addressing his deputy Mohamad Hasan and PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man midway through his speech.
PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang was also present, as were MCA president Wee Ka Siong, MIC president S Vigneswaran and PBRS deputy president Arthur Joseph Kurup.
Describing MN as a step towards a political reset in Malaysia, Zahid added that honesty and sincerity among its comrades were key.
