17 more Umno MPs to resign? I don’t know, says Shahidan

PETALING JAYA: A list claiming that 17 Umno MPs will quit the party is making the rounds following the resignation of two senior leaders, Mustapa Mohamed and Anifah Aman.

The majority of MPs listed are former ministers or Umno Supreme Council members while others are ordinary members who won in the May 9 general election.

Mustapa and Anifah are also on the list.

Arau MP Shahidan Kassim, who is one of the parliamentarians named, refused to confirm or deny the list.

“How am I to deny it? I don’t know,” he told FMT.

He added that there could be a “negotiator” trying to convince Umno party leaders to resign.

“This could have happened after Anwar Ibrahim announced that he is contesting in Port Dickson,” he said, referring to the PKR president elect. “But I don’t know.”

Meanwhile, Lenggong MP and Umno information chief Shamsul Anuar, whose name is also on the list, told FMT to wait for his media statement.

The prime minister’s media adviser A Kadir Jasin had earlier hinted at a meeting between Umno vice-president Hishammuddin Hussein and Dr Mahathir Mohamad in Putrajaya.

In a Facebook post, Kadir said: “Assalamuailaikum Datuk Seri Hishamuddin, nak tanya, semalam pergi Putrajaya jumpa siapa? (I would like to ask, whom did you meet in Putrajaya yesterday?)”

This comes several days after Shahidan, a former minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, told FMT that Anwar, who is slated to succeed Mahathir as prime minister, was at least “a known quantity” compared to other leaders in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government.

“If you don’t want Anwar then there would be Mukhriz (Mahathir), Azmin (Ali) or someone else from PH who would be the prime minister after Mahathir,” he said. “At least with Anwar, we know him.”

Umno’s Padang Rengas MP Nazri Aziz had also said he would campaign for Anwar in the Port Dickson by-election, which is intended to pave the way for the PKR leader’s return to Parliament.

Mustapa, who had been with Umno for some 40 years, quit the party yesterday, saying its direction was no longer in line with his principles.

Five MPs have quit the party since the May 9 general election: Mustapa, Anifah , Masjid Tanah MP Mas Ermieyati Samsudin, Bukit Gantang MP Syed Abu Hussin Hafiz Syed Abdul Fasal, and Bagan Serai MP Noor Azmi Ghazali.

Umno won 54 parliamentary seats in the 14th general election. - FMT