Umno leaders in special meeting tomorrow amid GE15 talk

 

Members of Umno’s Supreme Council are speculated to be meeting to decide on a general election date and ties with PAS. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA: A special meeting of Umno’s Supreme Council is to be held tomorrow night, according to a senior Umno source.

“The agenda is unclear,” the source told FMT. A possible topic of discussion would be the timing of the 15th general election.

There has been widespread speculation that Parliament could be dissolved within the week, paving the way for elections, which must be held within 60 days of dissolution.

Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who is an Umno vice-president, has been under pressure from his party to dissolve Parliament, while opposition politicians have been speaking out against early elections., citing the monsoon season, the weak economy, the Covid-19 pandemic, and year-end festivities.

Another topic for discussion tomorrow is believed to be Umno’s stand on cooperation with PAS for the elections.

On Tuesday, Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said PAS had to choose between Umno or Perikatan Nasional (PN) and that PAS must sever ties with PN if it wished to work with Umno.

PAS had held a much-anticipated meeting yesterday which was meant to determine if it would remain in PN or cooperate with Umno. However, in a brief statement following the two-hour meeting, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang said the party would continue to press for Muslim unity, with the hope for some “flexibility” on the part of Umno and Bersatu. - FMT