‘IF YOU WANT TO BE STRONG, YOU HAVE TO GET ON WITH OTHER RACES – BUT YOU ONLY TALK MALAY ISSUES & SNIPE AT OTHERS’ – BERSATU MAN TICKS OFF UMNO: WHILE PAS TWISTS THE KNIFE INTO ZAHID’S BACK – ‘UMNO’S TIME IS OVER, DISSOLVE NOW & LET YOUR MEMBERS JOIN US’

UMNO president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s “garden leave” will not change the party’s fate as long as it keeps heading in the same direction, said Marzuki Yahya.

The Bersatu secretary-general said Umno’s strategy of only raising Malay rights issues had done nothing but isolate the party to the point where it was now sorely lacking in friends and support.

“Umno is not relevant anymore, and it can do what it wants. I don’t think Zahid going on leave or resigning will change anything,” the senator said in Putrajaya today.

“For Umno to become (part of) the government (again), it needs good coalition partners.

“But who wants to be their friends now? Even MCA is not with them anymore. Barisan Nasional is only left with Umno and MIC, and we don’t know how long MIC can stay relevant.   

“If you want to be a strong party, you have to get all the others in. But if it only talks about Malay issues and doesn’t want to work with others, it can’t be the government,” said Marzuki, who is also deputy foreign minister.

Marzuki was commenting Zahid’s decision to hand over the party’s reins to his deputy, Mohamad Hasan, last night.

“I hope all the polemics about the leadership will cease and the leadership at the grassroots level will focus on strengthening the party,” the Umno president had said.

Seventeen Umno lawmakers have quit the party since the 14th general election.

Nik Amar: Dissolve Umno and join PAS

It’s time for Umno to dissolve and its members to join PAS, said party vice-president Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah (above).

“After the 14th general election, Umno no longer has a political future. Its time is over.

“We have always asked Umno to be with us, and now the time is ripe for them to leave Umno and join PAS,” he told the media in Kota Bharu today.

He said this while commenting on the tumult in Umno which led to Ahmad Zahid Hamidi taking leave as its president last night.

Zahid’s deputy, Mohamad Hasan, has taken over as acting Umno president.

PAS and Umno had become informal allies after the former’s defeat in GE14.

However, they maintain that their cooperation is only for Malay-Muslim issues. – mkini

THE MALAYSIAN INSIGHT / MKINI