Azmin: Umno panicking after Mahathir-Anwar meet

PKR deputy president says Umno scared because meeting serves to unite Malaysians and strengthen Opposition parties.

(FMT) – Umno is panicking following the meeting between former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his former protégé-turned-nemesis Anwar Ibrahim, says PKR Deputy President Azmin Ali.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event at the Shah Alam Convention Centre, the Selangor menteri besar said Umno was jittery because the meeting between the two political leaders served to unite Malaysians and strengthen Opposition parties.

He also hit back at Umno Supreme Council member Nur Jazlan Mohamed who claimed that the meeting would turn off PKR members.

“Why did Nur Jazlan have to be a busybody? They don’t have to panic,

“We only have one goal, that is to save the country and ensure the economy recovers.”

Nur Jazlan, who is deputy home minister, had said that the meeting between the two former Umno stalwarts would backfire on PKR and help Barisan Nasional and Umno win the 14th General Election (GE14).

When asked if it was he who organised the meeting between Mahathir and Anwar, Azmin merely said that it was a “collective effort”.

On Monday, Mahathir made an unscheduled visit to a High Court hearing in Kuala Lumpur on the urgent application by his former deputy prime minister, Anwar, to suspend the coming into force of the controversial National Security Council Act.

Mahathir, who left Umno earlier this year, shook hands and briefly exchanged pleasantries with Anwar in the witness room.

It is believed that this is the first time both Mahathir, 91, and Anwar, 68, are meeting after a lapse of 18 years.

Azmin had then hailed the meeting as a “start towards unity” and said he was happy that the two political icons had met after such a long time.