Zahid hits out at Anwar over ‘racist’ charge

Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

PETALING JAYA: Umno has hit out at PKR president Anwar Ibrahim for implying the party is being racist over its call to reject cooperation with anyone working with DAP.

In a statement, Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Anwar was indebted to DAP.

“Everything done by DAP is considered correct because the party has become the backbone of his political partners which he has to support to fulfil his political aspirations,” said Zahid.

He was responding to Anwar’s remarks in a report by The Star in which the Port Dickson MP said the call to reject anyone who works with DAP is a racist argument.

Anwar said that in politics, parties must be able to work with anyone who shares the same principles and ideals and urged Zahid to pinpoint the specifics on what he disagreed with DAP.

“Umno and BN have never practised racism,” Zahid said.

He said the cooperation between Umno and PAS also included a policy of protecting the interests of all, regardless of race and religion.

“Only a ‘kacang lupakan kulit’ (ingrate) will consider Umno a racist party.”

Anwar was a former Umno deputy president until his sacking from the party and as deputy prime minister in 1998.

“Resolve the issues of the split in PKR before talking about Umno. In Pakatan Harapan, the infighting between parties is already common knowledge.”

Anwar’s party PKR has been hit by infighting between himself and his deputy, Mohamed Azmin Ali.

In recent weeks, the two leaders and their supporters have traded barbs over the issue of a sex tape allegedly implicating Azmin. - FMT