Anwar an enabler for changes in Umno, says Shahril

 

Who kept saying that Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is a hero in Umno, says former Umno information chief Shahril Hamdan in a reference to Anwar Ibrahim.

PETALING JAYA: Pakatan Harapan chairman Anwar Ibrahim, as prime minister, holds the power to determine what happens in Umno indirectly, as he is capable of enabling certain decisions or outcomes, says former Umno information chief Shahril Hamdan.

Shahril, speaking in an episode of the podcast Keluar Sekejap, said that Anwar has more room to navigate the partnership between PH and Barisan Nasional, and that it would be a test to see if Anwar is brave enough to consider working with others in Umno.

“It will be a test for Anwar’s administration to see, are you brave enough to use the headroom you have, to give a signal that you can work with different factions within Umno,” he said.

He said PH always used the script that they canot determine outcomes in Umno. However, although Anwar could not determine what happens in Umno, he is an enabler.

“Which home minister approved the decision by the Registrar of Societies to bar the contest for Umno’s top two positions?,” he said. “And who kept saying in the state elections campaigns that (Umno president) Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is a hero, champion and saviour of Umno?”

In March, home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, who is also secretary-general of PKR and PH, confirmed Umno was granted an exemption on the resolution made at the party’s general assembly to bar contests for the president and deputy president’s posts.

Anwar had defended Saifuddin when the decision was criticised, saying that the law requires the registrar to refer the matter to the home minister, who is given “certain powers”. Under the Societies Act, the minister can grant exemption to a society from any provisions of the act. - FMT