BN: Zahid’s statement calling for Parliament sitting a 'mistake'

 

BN has appeared to backtrack from its call for the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to order for a Parliament sitting as soon as possible.

This comes after MIC said coalition partners never agreed in their recent meeting to make such an appeal.

At about 8.15pm last night, BN chairperson Ahmad Zahid Hamidi issued a strongly-worded media statement criticising de facto Law Minister Takiyuddin Hassan’s justification for postponing the Parliament sitting.

Bearing a BN letterhead and issued under the Umno president’s name, the statement accused the PAS minister of “challenging” the King's views and “insulting” the constitutional monarchy.

Zahid thus appealed to the King to call for a Dewan Rakyat sitting.

However, at 4.45pm today, BN executive secretary Mohamad Sahfri Ab Aziz said last night’s press release had been a “mistake”.

The blame was ostensibly placed on an unnamed officer who was found to have issued the release without prior approval from the BN secretariat.

“Referring to the BN chairperson’s March 4 press statement, Zahid says that the slight confusion over the statement was due to a mistake by a BN secretariat officer.

“I set up an internal investigation committee this morning to discuss how the BN chairperson’s media statement was released without prior approval from the BN supreme council secretariat...,” he said in a statement.

Sahfri added that the officer has since been suspended for a month, effective immediately.

This, he said, was to allow the investigation to take place.

Earlier this week, Umno formally communicated its decision to terminate its political partnership with Bersatu and Perikatan Nasional once GE15 comes around.

Bersatu has since accepted Umno’s decision and said it will focus on strengthening ties with its other PN partners like PAS, Gerakan and Star. - Mkini