Umno, PAS and Bersatu hold special meetings

 

Several political parties held special meetings following political developments in the country today.

When contacted by Malaysiakini, Pasir Mas MP Ahmad Fadhli Shaari confirmed that PAS MPs had held a special meeting.

"Yes, there was a special meeting (of PAS MPs)," he said.

Tumpat MP Che Abdullah Mat Nawi also confirmed it; however, he could not attend the meeting as he was still undergoing self-quarantine.

Earlier, Malaysiakini reported that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah agreed to accept the resignation of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and his cabinet members.

This came after the Pagoh MP had lost majority support in the Dewan Rakyat, which led to the fall of the Perikatan Nasional government.

However, Muhyiddin was appointed as the caretaker prime minister pending the appointment of his successor.

Meanwhile, the Umno political bureau also held a meeting this afternoon at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) to discuss the party's direction.

Bersatu information chief Wan Saiful Wan Jan informed that the party's supreme leadership council also held an online meeting this afternoon.

"The council also held an online meeting on its next steps. Bersatu members are urged to remain calm and put their confidence in the leadership.

"I expect the deputy president (Ahmad Faizal Azumu) to make an announcement once a decision has been made," he said in a press statement.

Bersatu supreme council member Mohd Redzuan Md Yusof said two emergency meetings - supreme council meeting and meeting with Bersatu MPs - were held today.

The supreme council meeting, which was chaired by deputy president Faizal, was held at Yayasan Selangor while the Bersatu MPs meeting, which will be chaired by party president Muhyiddin, will be held at the party’s headquarters.

While not knowing the agenda of both meetings, he expected the discussions will be focused on ensuring that Perikatan Nasional continues to remain in power.

Redzuan, who did not attend the supreme council meeting, said the party was likely to discuss its designated prime minister candidate.

When asked if he agreed to support Umno’s Ismail Sabri Yaakob as the next prime minister candidate, he did not provide a direct answer.

“I don't know yet, that depends on the consensus and what is the proposal on the table. It has to be discussed. What is the way forward, it has to be discussed. I am not just a follower,” he said, adding it’s up to the Agong to decide.

The Bersatu supreme council meeting, which started late afternoon, finished at 5.30pm.

Muhyiddin was forced to resign after the withdrawal of support by 15 Umno MPs and the opposition rejected his offer of reforms for their support.

Among the 15 Umno MPs are two lawmakers facing criminal trials, Ahmad Maslan (Pontian MP) and Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (Bagan Datuk MP), while Najib Abdul Razak (Pekan MP) has already been convicted and is going through the appeal process. - Mkini