All Umno leaders must shoulder the blame, not just Zahid, says Bung

Bung Moktar Radin (right) said the blame must not rest squarely on Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s shoulders. (Facebook pic)

KUALA LUMPUR: Sabah Umno chief Bung Moktar Radin has come to the defence of party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi in the wake of Barisan Nasional’s disastrous outing in the 15th general election (GE15).

Bung said Umno leaders needed to take collective responsibility and the blame should not rest squarely on Zahid.

“But it should not come to that level (of Zahid stepping down from the post),” he said, referring to calls for Zahid to resign.

“All Umno leaders must take responsibility. If there is a need to step down, then everyone has to do it,” he said when met after attending the Umno political bureau meeting here.

In yesterday’s polls, BN only managed to win 30 parliamentary seats. Its rivals Pakatan Harapan (with Muda) won 82 seats, while Perikatan Nasional won 73 seats.

Earlier today, Johor menteri besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi was the first party leader to call for Zahid to resign. He said Zahid should emulate his predecessor Najib Razak, who stepped down as Umno president following BN’s loss in the last general election (GE14).

Kota Raja Umno Youth chief Sheikh Weshal Sheikh Ahmad also called for Zahid to resign, adding that deputy president Mohamad Hasan must do likewise as he had promised to do so if BN lost the elections.

Bung, who is also an Umno Supreme Council member, went on to describe BN’s loss as the worst in the coalition’s history but said they needed to accept the fact that voters had rejected it.

“Moving forward, we need a pragmatic approach to chart the country’s future. We need to ensure that Umno is revived to ensure its survival.” - FMT