DPM: BN must work smart to survive 'third strike' before GE14

BN must work hard and smart to survive its “third strike” in the coming 14th general election (GE14), Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said today.

Based on the party’s experiences in the 12th and 13th general elections, he said it is expected that Umno will be faced with another wave of problems ahead of GE14.

“We have to work hard and work smart to ensure that in GE14 when we are tested for the third time, we will be judged on whether we can succeed or whether we will be defeated,” said Zahid in his speech at the Umno Batu Pahat division meeting this morning.

Zahid, who is Umno vice-president performing the duties of the party’s deputy president, also warned of external parties using issues such as the United States Department of Justice’s 1MDB-linked civil suit, as a "bullet to shoot at Umno".

“We know these problems do not come from within the party. The problems are coming from outside. Shots fired using issues like DOJ as ‘bullets’.

“This is because there are enemies out there who try to provide the ‘bullets’ to (other) foreign parties, so there is a loss of faith in institutions of leadership,” he said, claiming that such attacks have been recurring every five years when a general election is due.

Zahid noted that BN had nearly stumbled in GE12 and GE13 and as such urged all component party members to unite towards reclaiming its two-third majority in the Dewan Rakyat.

“We nearly stumbled because at the time we deflected the bullets aimed at us but we were still not as strong as the attacks by our political enemies.

“And in that context, we will now be tested again in GE14… twice we have succeeded but Allah SWT has fated that we lose our two-thirds majority,” he pointed out.

Zahid in his speech also expressed confidence in the commitment of all Umno leaders towards achieving BN’s goal of reclaiming its two-thirds majority. 

In 2008, the combined opposition comprising DAP, PKR and PAS had collectively won 82 out of 222 federal seats - effectively denying BN its customary two-thirds majority for the first time in history.

The three parties later formed the now-defunct Pakatan Rakyat federal opposition pact and won 89 seats or 50.87 per cent of the popular votes in GE13.- Mkini