Is ‘no Anwar, no DAP’ stand still relevant, asks Umno man

 

Umno Supreme Council member Puad Zarkashi said Pakatan Harapan would be celebrating because its MPs would get the same allocation and facilities as government MPs.

PETALING JAYA: An Umno Supreme Council member has asked if the party’s “no Anwar, no DAP” stand is still relevant with Pakatan Harapan (PH) looking set to reach a confidence and supply agreement (CSA) with the government.

Logically, Puad Zarkashi said this would mean that all of PH’s demands would be accepted and met without conditions.

He also said some might try to defend the CSA with PH by saying DAP and PKR were still not given any executive positions in the government, although he argued that there was no difference.

“Even if they don’t have ministerial posts, if all of PH’s demands are accepted and become the government’s policy, then that is more than enough.

Puad Zarkashi.

“What’s the point of being a part of the government when the party’s policies aren’t met?” he said in a Facebook post today.

Puad also said he was made to understand that PH had turned down an offer to join the National Recovery Council (MPN) as it had refused to work under its chairman, Muhyiddin Yassin, whom they had rejected earlier and which  contributed to his ouster as prime minister.

“They demanded that a committee be formed to monitor the MPN, which means PH will control the MPN’s effectiveness. In other words, a party can take control of the government through various ways.

“Surely, PH will be celebrating because its MPs will get the same allocation and facilities as government MPs? At the same time, the ‘No Anwar, no DAP’ stand will be forgotten.”

Yesterday, PH said it had agreed in principle to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the government, subject to some fine-tuning.

This came after the coalition’s top leaders discussed the reforms proposed by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, which included a 10-year term limit to the prime minister’s tenure, the introduction of an anti-party hopping law and participation of opposition members in the MPN.

In a statement, the PH presidential council said the agreement was made on the basis of saving lives and preserving the livelihood of the people.