Umno should settle the party's internal crisis before it damages the Perikatan Nasional government, says Bersatu information chief Wan Saiful Wan Jan.
Speaking at a live interview session aired on Facebook, he hinted that the problem Umno has to deal with is its own party president - Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Wan Saiful (above) said it was Zahid who stated full support from Umno for opposition chief Anwar Ibrahim to become the country's next prime minister when the party is part of the PN government.
"This letter expressed loyalty to the opposition chief, signed (by Zahid) as the president of a party that is part of the government, on behalf of all MPs (in the party).
"I think there has been no police report lodged against (the authenticity) of this letter, and no official retraction from Zahid himself.
"If Umno's internal issues are not solved, then we will have symptoms like this - suddenly expressing support for the opposition. What should we do in a situation like this?
"I do not want to interfere in Umno internal matters. But I really hope that our friends in Umno can solve this issue so that we would not face such problem and can continue to focus on giving our service to the rakyat," Wan Saiful said, referring to a letter that was allegedly sent by Zahid to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong last year.
Wan Saiful made the remarks when asked by moderator Zaharin Mohd Yasin about the recent friendly fire between Umno and Bersatu.
A spokesperson from Zahid's office had since dismissed the letter as fake. However, former BN secretary-general Annuar Musa later claimed that he had verified the existence of the letter. Annuar also claimed that Zahid had written the letter without the knowledge of other Umno MPs.
The tussle between Umno and Bersatu reached its peak last weekend when the Umno general assembly decided to sever ties with Muhyiddin Yassin's party.
Zahid had said that the Umno-led BN coalition would go solo in the next general election.
On this, Wan Saiful said Umno should announce its choice for the next prime minister.
"The biggest question is who would be the next prime minister. For us in PN, it is clear that our candidate is Muhyiddin Yassin. And for the Pakatan Harapan opposition coalition, their candidate is clear - Anwar Ibrahim.
"But if one sits in the middle - not on the Muhyiddin side, nor the Anwar side - who do they want as the next PM? Are they proposing someone from their own party, or do they want to bring down Muhyiddin and bring up Anwar and (DAP secretary-general) Lim Guan Eng?
"These are the big question marks that the people would want to have answered. To me, they should decide this now. If they want to be with PN, then come with us, we can work together as a family to govern this country.
"If not, then tell us who will become their PM," he said.
During the interview, Wan Saiful was also asked by the moderator whether Bersatu would cooperate with Umno again, after the next general election, to form a government, should neither of them have enough numbers alone.
The information chief did not give a specific answer, but said he personally does not have a problem with such a strategy as it is allowed in a democracy.
However, he stressed that such a plan would create confusion for the people and raise questions on the trustworthiness of election promises.
"Personally, I do not have any problem if such a strategy is adopted. But for the people, I believe there will be many questions for them.
"If a government is formed after the election (GE15), then how far can the people trust the promises made before the election?" - Mkini
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