Bersatu will let Zahid’s statement slide

(Malaysiakini) – Bersatu secretary-general Hamzah Zainudin said his party will not be seeking clarifications from Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi regarding the apparent change in allegiances by some Umno MPs.

This was because those on the purported list of Umno MPs who were said to be switching allegiances from Muhyiddin Yassin to Anwar Ibrahim have denied doing so.

Hamzah said there have also been statements by PAS warning Umno against siding with Anwar.

“No (we will not check with Zahid)… We have many other coalition partners and most of them denied (switching allegiances). That shows that (Anwar’s claim) is only a gimmick.

“What clarification do we need? For us, we want to be with our president and at the same time, the Perikatan Nasional coalition partners are all intact. They are with us.

“Therefore, the question of us (Bersatu) seeking clarification (from Zahid) does not arise,” Hamzah told reporters in Tambunan, Sabah.

On Wednesday, Anwar had publicly claimed that Muhyiddin’s government had collapsed. According to the Port Dickson MP, he had secured “solid and convincing” majority support from the country’s MPs to form a new government.

This claim was reinforced in a statement from Zahid, who acknowledged that “many” Umno MPs have expressed support for Anwar.

Following this, a purported list of 15 Umno MPs who were alleged to have switched allegiances had surfaced online. Many of them have denied being part of this scheme.

Earlier today, PAS sought an official explanation from Umno over Zahid’s statement and reminded Umno of its obligations under the Muafakat Nasional charter.