KUALA LUMPUR: Two Umno Youth leaders have rallied behind party veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah's call for Umno to exit the Perikatan Nasional government.
Federal Territories Umno Youth information chief Wan Agyl Wan Hassan said pulling out from the government would be a "wise move" for the party to consider its efforts to strengthen itself.
Speaking to the New Straits Times, Wan Agyl said the country's current political situation lacked stability at a time when it was needed most.
"No one is talking about policies but politics, (despite) the post-Covid-19 impact and our slow economic recovery pace.
"We need political stability and this cannot be delayed," he said, claiming that leaders were too engrossed in power play instead of focusing on pressing issues such as unemployment.
Wan Agyl also said the PN pact was experiencing a complex situation with seat distributions among parties involved for the next General Election, putting Umno at the losing end.
"We all know that Umno, Pas and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) are trying hard to avoid three-cornered fights against each other, but that does not mean that Umno can't avoid it if the party leaves the government coalition.
"Guiding principles can be set between these three parties and agreed upon, but Umno must remain on its own and strengthen itself with Barisan Nasional.
"(As of now) we get cornered at every move we make. We do not have bargaining power at all."
Umno's leadership, he said, should neither discount nor label Tengku Razaleigh's views as personal, as he was the party's advisory board chairman.
Wan Agyl said although he had some concerns about the move, the party must weigh its options and evaluate the positive outcome from quitting from all cabinet posts.
"Umno does not have to worry about who should be part of the government if we win the 15th General Election. The most important thing is for us to be better and win as many seats as possible.
"Once the elections are over, then we will see who we should ally with to form a stable administration and project confidence to investors and businesses."
Meanwhile, Pasir Gudang Youth chief Noor Azleen Ambros said Tengku Razaleigh's advice had its merits, adding that the country deserved political stability to govern.
"This is also to manage the country and mitigate negativity during this crisis.
"I agree with Tengku Razaleigh's call to exit the PN government and allow for fresh polls to restore stability and certainty," he said.
He also claimed PN was a "caretaker government", adding that Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin should not govern beyond the 15th General Election.
Noor Azleen said the support that Muhyiddin had been receiving was only from members of parliament and not parties as a whole.
On Friday, Tengku Razaleigh had called for Umno ministers to quit their cabinet posts.
The Gua Musang MP had explained that the call was made as Bersatu had decided to accept non-Malays as members, which disqualified it from being part of the Malay-Muslim pact of Muafakat Nasional.
Umno currently has nine full ministers and seven deputy ministers in the PN cabinet. - NST
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