Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has denied reports that his relationship with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has become increasingly strained amid a public dispute over ministerial funding and electoral manoeuvring.
Zahid, who is also deputy prime minister, said the federal administration, including cabinet meetings, continued to run smoothly.
“I have no problem either personally or officially. What is important for BN, as one of the components in the unity government, is to ensure political stability in this country until the end of the (parliamentary) term,” Utusan Malaysia quoted him as saying at an event in Johor today.
He said the Umno annual general assembly earlier this year had resolved to remain in Putrajaya.
“The Umno AGM resolution has stipulated that we remain in the government to ensure complete political stability in order to avoid problems, including the entry of foreign investors,” he said.
With Umno’s next assembly due next week, however, it remains to be seen whether the party will reaffirm or reverse that position.
Bloomberg previously reported, citing anonymous sources, that friction between Anwar and Zahid had reached new heights, resulting in shorter cabinet meetings.
The sources attributed the tensions partly to Zahid’s decision to lead BN into the Johor and Negeri Sembilan elections against Pakatan Harapan.
Funding dispute deepens rift
On Monday, Zahid, who is also the rural and regional development minister, publicly expressed frustration over delays in funding disbursements under the Finance Ministry, which is headed by Anwar.
He urged the Finance Ministry to expedite payments, saying contractors who had completed projects were still waiting for funds, with some forced out of business by cash-flow problems.
Treasury secretary-general Johan Mahmood Merican disputed the claim, saying the allocation for rural roads had been fully disbursed and was not subject to any sanctions.
Johan also said Zahid’s ministry had a history of exceeding its budget, forcing the Finance Ministry to identify savings from other ministries to cover the additional spending.
DAP subsequently trained its guns on Zahid. Veteran leader Lim Guan Eng, a former finance minister, called for action against the BN chairperson over overspending, warning that such practices could undermine the country’s financial stability.
DAP’s RSN Rayer also called on the attorney-general to review the discontinuation of Zahid’s 47 corruption charges in the case involving funds from Yayasan Akalbudi.
DAP Youth backed the call, saying the matter was closely linked to the government’s institutional reform agenda.
The growing friction between the two former political rivals has fuelled speculation over whether a decisive BN victory in the upcoming Malacca polls could strengthen calls within the coalition for a snap general election.
This leaves Anwar navigating a political balancing act between BN’s electoral manoeuvres and the need to revive Harapan’s flagging support among voters. - Mkini
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