FROM BLUNDER TO BLUNDER, PANICKY ZAHID CANCELS SUPREME COUNCIL MEETING: NOW DENOUNCES ‘PLAN’ INVOLVING TIE UP WITH DAP – SAYS TO CONTINUE WORKING WITH PAS INSTEAD – BUT WHAT CAN PAS BRING TO UMNO WHEN OVERPLAYING THE MUSLIM CARD HAS ALREADY COST THEM THEIR SABAH MPs

UMNO cancelled tonight’s monthly Supreme Council meeting without a reason as it deals with the fallout from the party’s mass exodus and pressure for president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to step aside.

Sabah Umno virtually dissolved a day after the meeting notice was sent out while six other MPs also quit the party this past week. Word had also spread then that Zahid wanted the grassroots to agree to an alliance with PKR and DAP but that triggered a backlash.

Party sources say these issues would have been brought up at the Supreme Council meeting and pressure the embattled party president to quit the post.

“He does not want to have to face the council at this time for fear of it asking him to quit. Though his position may not be on the agenda it could be a subject,”   one source told The Malaysian Insight.

The sources said the decision to cancel the Supreme Council meeting will give breathing space to Zahid to consider his options.

The Umno president had said he will not bow to pressure from anyone in the party and reminded members that only a special assembly could remove him from his post.

“I will not give in to pressure from a group within the party. The party constitution clearly states only two-thirds of delegates at a party general assembly can remove me,” he said on Facebook yesterday.

He also reaffirmed Umno will continue to cooperate with PAS on Malay-Muslim issues and not work with DAP – both contentious issues in the Malay nationalist party that ruled the country for 61 years until its historic defeat in the May 9 polls.

The Umno Supreme Council meets every month and last met on November 9.

That meeting also was heated as supreme councillors debated an Umno Youth suggestion that Zahid take a break from his position to deal with his court cases.

The party’s Youth wing had resolved at its meeting on October 25 that the Bagan Datoh MP should go on leave.

However, Youth chief Asyraf Wajdi Dasuki was not given any space to speak when he raised the issue by several supreme councillors aligned to the party chief.

At the same meeting, a proposal to work with other parties and get back into government was put on the back burner by the council which said it would rather focus on strengthening the party and becoming a solid opposition party.

Between the last Supreme Council meeting and today’s meeting which has been called off the situation has become worse.

The party has lost 17 MPs, nine assemblymen and is now trying to mobilise to get the grassroots to support a plan to enter into coalition with PKR and its longstanding nemesis, DAP.

One of the MPs who left, Hamzah Zainuddin, had claimed that the remaining 33 MPs in the Barisan Nasional coalition has also pledged their support to Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

To top it off, there is growing pressure from the grassroots to get Zahid to quit.

Umno will work with PAS, not DAP, says Zahid

AHMAD Zahid Hamidi said Umno will work with PAS to achieve the Islamic agenda but not DAP, as pressure mounts for him to quit.

The Umno president said he will not bow to pressure from anyone in the party and reminded members that only a special assembly could remove him from his post.

“I will not give in to pressure from a group within the party. The party constitution clearly states only two-thirds of delegates at a party general assembly can remove me,” he said on Facebook today.

“I heed the grassroots’ request to strengthen Umno and rejuvenate the party after the GE14 defeat. I am confident despite losing; many still support Umno and want to be with Umno,” he added.

Zahid said he would, however, reject any offers to work with DAP as he would never compromise on the Malay agenda.

“The cooperation with PAS is solely for the benefit of the Malays and Islam, and, at the same time, both parties respect the harmonious relationship we have with other races.

“Umno will object to working with DAP and Umno will never compromise on its stand to uphold the Malay agenda.”  

The Bagan Datoh MP also urged all Umno members to leave petty differences behind and work together to strengthen Umno.

“Let’s be together at all levels. We must put aside our differences for Umno to be stronger and when we are stronger, Umno will then be able to protect Islam, the Malays and the country.”

Calls for Zahid to step down have mounted in recent days following the exodus of several Umno lawmakers from the party.

Many of the leaders had cited Zahid’s inability to lead the party for their move, and urged him to step down so that the party could move forward.

Khairy Jamaluddin, who contested against Zahid in the Umno election in September, also said on Twitter that Zahid must relinquish his post, saying Umno had lost its direction under Zahid’s leadership.

– https://www.themalaysianinsight.com