Nazri says will back Anwar as PM in exchange for not dissolving Umno

(MMO) – Padang Rengas MP Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz said today he will support Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as prime minister on condition that the PKR president does not deregister Umno and returns full allocations to its lawmakers.

Nazri stressed that he was speaking in both his personal capacity and on behalf of Umno, but denied having any specific group of MPs acting in concert with him.

“I have met him many times in Parliament,” Nazri told Malay Mail, referring to Anwar.

“We want our allocations given back to us. We want him to ensure that he does not deregister Umno.”

Under the Pakatan Harapan (PH) federal government, Opposition MPs receive an annual allocation of RM100,000 for their constituencies, while their government counterparts get RM500,000 for their constituencies and RM200,000 for their service centres.

Even though Umno won a respectable 54 seats in the 14th general election, the Malay nationalist party has been bleeding lawmakers since its first-ever loss of federal power, numbering at 10 Members of Parliament so far.

Sabah Umno lost yesterday nine out of its 10 assemblymen, four out of its five MPs, and most of its state liaison committee.

Previously, six MPs left Umno, three of whom — Jeli MP Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed, Bagan Serai MP Datuk Noor Azmi Ghazali, and Masjid Tanah MP Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin — joined Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM).

Another, Labuan MP Datuk Rozman Isli, joined Warisan.

PKR has 50 seats in Parliament, while PPBM has 16.