Zahid: Cooperation with DAP not a compromise on dignity

 

Umno's cooperation with DAP in the coalition government does not mean that the former has compromised on its dignity on matters pertaining to religion and race, said the Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

The deputy prime minister said that, in fact, the Umno-DAP cooperation should be seen in a bigger picture involving the coalition government.

"We are often accused of collaborating with DAP. The truth is, (it is between) Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Harapan.

"In BN, there are MCA and MIC and in Harapan, there is DAP. So, we have to see the similarity between BN and Harapan.

"When it comes to Islam, the Malays, rulers and the Malay language, Harapan leaders don’t meddle in it.

"They respect Umno's stance because these are the four things that must be defended and they agree," he told reporters after attending Umno’s presidential briefing at the World Trade Center (WTC) in Kuala Lumpur this evening.

Prior to this, Umno and DAP had been encouraging its members to work hand-in-hand for the upcoming state elections.

This caused several Perikatan Nasional leaders to come out and blast both parties’ collaboration efforts.

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang warned that Umno had made the wrong move by working with its former rival, citing that the party had strayed from its constitution.

Similarly, PN chairperson Muhyiddin Yassin also described the action of Umno leader Ahmad Maslan asking party members to support DAP as “unusual”.

‘PAS worked with DAP, why can’t we?’

Meanwhile, Zahid questioned why cooperation with DAP was an issue given that even PAS had worked with the party before.

"I don't see any issue with supposedly compromising our dignity because PAS had also formed alliances with DAP in the past.

“It happened a long time ago. Why was PAS able to do it, but when we do it, it's seen as compromising Islam and the Malays?

"So they should ask themselves, since PAS has formed alliances with several parties including DAP," he said.

Following the absence of a clear majority during the 15th general election (GE15), Harapan and BN, together with GPS and GRS, formed a coalition government with Anwar Ibrahim appointed as the prime minister.

The decision to form a coalition government also resulted in Umno and DAP, who have been political rivals for over five decades, being part of the same government.

Earlier, the Bagan Datuk MP said today's briefing, with the theme “Political Reality of the Nation”, was aimed at conveying a message to Umno delegates about the party's future ahead of the state elections.

‘Umno no longer dominant’

"We are part of the coalition government. We are not dominant, we must acknowledge that fact.

"The upcoming state elections require our hard work and it is crucial to win any seats that are allocated to BN. It is meaningless if we feel (that we are) strong but in effect, achieve less," he said.

Zahid also stated that although the party received 23 percent of the popular vote in GE15, they were only able to win 30 parliamentary seats (11 percent).

"We must rise and correct our weaknesses. The problem is that in the past two general elections, we have always focused on the differences among party leaders.

"This time, we need to find common ground and move forward," he said. - Mkini