Annuar Musa urges Umno leaders to put aside personal agenda

 

Ousted BN secretary-general Annuar Musa is hopeful that the three major Malay parties - Umno, Bersatu and PAS - will unite to form a solid political coalition.

This is despite the conflicts between Umno and Bersatu and despite certain Umno leaders taking a stand outside of the party's decision, Annuar said in an interview with Sinar Harian yesterday.

"My mission is to see a stable political situation in the country so that the government can contribute to the people and the core of the stabilisation is an understanding among Umno, Bersatu and PAS.

"If one of them is excluded, then the coalition is flawed," he said.

Therefore, Annuar urged them to put aside personal sentiments and ambitions.

"What is important is that, come the 15th general election (GE15), the country's politics need to be stabilised. We can't afford anymore to have a hung Parliament and a change of government.

"The stability comes in a way of cooperation among BN, PN and other friendly parties such as Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) and Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS).

"I believe the unity of the three parties (Umno, Bersatu and PAS) will put the ongoing political conflict to an end," he said.

Muhyiddin Yassin

Annuar said he would preserve a good relationship with PAS, Bersatu and Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

"It's okay for me to be sacked. I'm not in a fight with the president (Ahmad Zahid Hamidi).

"I will retain the good relationship with PAS, Bersatu and the PM and I want to see the three parties back on the track," he said, adding that his principle is not to work with DAP and those who work with DAP.

Last week, the Ketereh lawmaker was sacked from his post as the BN secretary-general. The sacking came amid a news report that 189 Umno divisions had rejected cooperation with Bersatu.

Mounting pressure against Muhyiddin

There was also mounting pressure against Bersatu and its president Muhyiddin as the Umno chief Zahid called for the general election to be held as soon as possible.

However, any attempt to bring down the Muhyiddin-led government and push for GE15 were stymied following a proclamation of emergency up to August, as consented by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong yesterday.

Certain quarters in Umno see Annuar as leaning towards Bersatu and this is believed to be the reason for his sacking as BN secretary-general.

Ahmad Zahid Hamidi

In the interview yesterday, Annuar also did not mince his words when he said that the bulk of the problem in the Perikatan Nasional government came from Umno.

"The problem came from Umno. Other parties (within the government) such as GPS and PAS have no problem.

"I hope Umno can fix the problem," he said.

He added that it is not too late for his buddies in Umno to fix the relationship with Bersatu, but he stressed that Bersatu too must play its role and not let problems arise one after another, which could worsen the situation.

While he did not specifically mention the problems, it is believed that Annuar was referring to the allegations that Bersatu had attempted to steal and buy Umno members.

"I understand that there are friends who tried to destabilise the government. I hope they learn to see the end game that they will get," he said.

Last week, Annuar claimed that Zahid had, last year, sought a discussion with PKR president Anwar Ibrahim and DAP to topple the PN government.

He alleged that Zahid had also sent a letter to the King to express his support for Anwar. - Mkini