PN party chiefs arrive for closely-watched meeting

Neither PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang nor a representative from the Islamic party has arrived yet.

MIPP president P Punithan speaking to reporters before the Perikatan Nasional party presidents meeting at Muhyiddin Yassin’s residence in Kuala Lumpur.

KUALA LUMPUR:

 The presidents of the Malaysian Indian People’s Party (MIPP) and Gerakan have arrived for a closely-watched Perikatan Nasional meeting at Muhyiddin Yassin’s residence here.

MIPP president P Punithan, who arrived at 8.21pm, told reporters that the gathering was a “pre-council meeting” ahead of the PN Supreme Council meeting to discuss the way forward for the coalition.

Gerakan president Dominic Lau arrived around the same time but did not address the media.

Neither PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang nor a representative from the Islamic party has arrived yet.

Tonight’s meeting was called by Muhyiddin not long after a PN Supreme Council meeting was also called for tonight. The latter was later cancelled.

The PN Supreme Council meeting was supposed to confirm Muhyiddin’s resignation as coalition chairman, which he relinquished on Jan 1, and appoint his successor.

Muhyiddin and several others such as former PN secretary-general Azmin Ali and Radzi Jidin were not invited to the PN Supreme Council meeting on grounds that they had stepped down from their posts in the coalition.

However, Bersatu contended that Muhyiddin should be invited since he is still its president and therefore, by convention, a PN deputy chairman.

Tonight’s meeting is expected to see the PN party presidents discuss restructuring the coalition and amending its constitution.

In a letter that was leaked yesterday, Muhyiddin claimed that Bersatu and PAS had agreed to abolish the PN chairman’s post as part of the coalition’s restructuring during a meeting at his home more than a week ago.

The former prime minister said they also agreed that the presidential council headed by Bersatu would be the highest decision-making body in PN, while an executive council led by PAS would handle the administrative aspects.

However, PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man denied Muhyiddin’s claim, saying the matter was not even discussed during the meeting on Jan 16.

In a separate letter sighted by FMT, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang said the party’s stand was that the presidential council would only be an advisory body, with the Supreme Council to remain as the coalition’s executive decision-maker. - FMT