Umno veep: PN memorandum not legally binding

Umno vice-president Mahdzir Khalid said the memorandum of understanding to formalise Perikatan Nasional (PN) as a coalition, which was publicised last Sunday, is not legally binding.

Instead, he said the memorandum is an "understanding" to function as one bloc in Parliament.

"It is an understanding that is not legally binding. It is an agreement to enter Parliament as PN.

"It is an understanding involving PN parties," he told Malaysiakini.

"On the issue of support, Umno/BN, PAS, GPS and the other parties in PN are clear in their support for the prime minister," he added.

Asked if PN will form a charter of cooperation among its parties like the one between Umno and PAS, Mahdzir said "There is no charter".

Mahdzir, when asked if the PN memorandum will involve electoral cooperation, said the matter did not arise.

"At this moment, it does not arise. It will be discussed later," he said.

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who is also president of Bersatu, is pushing to formalise the PN coalition albeit internal resistance.

PN was formed following the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan government.

This was after Muhyiddin pulled Bersatu out of Harapan and joined forces with PKR defectors led by former PKR deputy president Azmin Ali.

Together with BN, PAS, GPS, PBS and STAR, they formed the new PN government.

However, some Umno leaders including its deputy president Mohamad Hasan had said PN was nothing more than an arrangement to form the government without Harapan parties.

He added that for the general election, it will still be an Umno and PAS formula.

Muhyiddin's opponents in Bersatu had used this to criticise the decision to join forces with Umno and PAS, warning that Bersatu could be destroyed in the next general election as Bersatu clashed with Umno and PAS in almost all the seats in the last general election.

After the PN memorandum was announced in a statement signed off by all its parties, Bersatu Youth had criticised that it was too "general" and questioned if it will involve an electoral arrangement.

Bersatu Youth is led by Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, who is aligned to disputed party chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Mahathir, who disagreed with the decision to join forces with Umno, has mounted a campaign against Muhyiddin and plans to bring Bersatu back to Harapan.

Meanwhile, Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president James Masing maintained that GPS is not part of PN and is only cooperating with the coalition.

PRS is one of four parties in the Sarawak-based GPS coalition which is in turn part of the PN government.

"We are PN plus GPS," he was quoted as saying by The Malaysian Insight. - Mkini