LIE UPON LIE, NOW LETTER FROM UMNO-BN FROGS SUPPORTING DR MAHATHIR DOESN’T SAY THEY WILL JUMP TO BERSATU: BUT OF COURSE IT WON’T – IT DOESN’T HAVE TO, THE MEANING IS CLEAR – AND SINCE WHEN HAVE UMNO MPs USED THEIR ALLOCATIONS TO ‘BUILD ROADS’, BENEFIT THEIR CONSTITUENTS INSTEAD OF THEMSELVES

A LETTER of support from 36 Barisan Nasional MPs for the leadership of Dr Mahathir Mohamad had nothing to do with Umno or moves to defect to Bersatu, according to those who endorsed it.

Apart from pledging support to the Prime Minister, the BN lawmakers only wanted Putrajaya to give them the same allocations as their Pakatan Harapan counterparts.

The MPs also wanted Putrajaya to continue with projects started by the previous BN government in their constituencies.

“All the MPs signed it, as it was aimed at helping the people. It would be difficult for us to serve without allocations. 

“Some of these projects are for road improvement, building of new schools and hospitals, so we wanted them continued,” said one of the signatories who wished to remain anonymous.

He said nothing in the letter was about jumping ship or supporting Dr Mahathir’s successor as prime minister.

“There is not a word about leaving to join Bersatu. But if there were other talks to topple Ahmad Zahid Hamidi as Umno president among other Umno MPs, I have no knowledge of it,” said another Umno MP.

He added that the letter was just a support letter and not a statutory declaration, which empowered former Umno vice-president Hishammuddin Hussein to deal with the matter.

Two weeks ago, Larut MP Hamzah Zainuddin revealed that 36 BN federal lawmakers signed a pledge of allegiance to Dr Mahathir.

Former minister Hamzah said the BN lawmakers wanted to ensure Dr Mahathir kept his job.

“There are 33 from Umno, one from Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah and two from MIC who signed (the letter of) support for the prime minister. This was not decided a day or two ago. It was decided about a month ago,” he was reported as saying on the day he and five other Umno MPs quit the party to become independents.

He also said 10 other Umno MPs were ready to jump ship if Zahid continued to head the party.

Another Umno leader, however, said the letter did not set any condition on Zahid’s leadership in Umno.

“I was shocked when I heard about 10 more MPs were ready to quit because of Zahid as the letter never mentioned anything about Zahid,” he said.

“Please don’t use that letter for other means. I and many other Umno leaders are not interested in anything else.”  

The talk of defections in Umno has quietened following Zahid’s decision to hand over presidential duties to his deputy, Mohamad Hasan, last week.

– https://www.themalaysianinsight.com