Most BN MPs have lost confidence in Zahid, says Nazri
(FMT) – A majority of Barisan Nasional (BN) MPs have lost confidence in its chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Padang Rengas MP Nazri Aziz said today.
In an interview with Sinar Harian, Nazri claimed that 25 out of the 41 BN MPs had signed statutory declarations (SDs) backing BN treasurer-general Hishammuddin Hussein to represent them before the King if they were to be called for an audience.
The Umno MP said he was the “mastermind” who worked on collecting the SDs two weeks ago after hearing that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong would be meeting political party leaders again.
He clarified that the SDs were not meant to back Hishammuddin for the post of prime minister as alleged by some, but were meant to communicate the BN MPs’ stand about working with opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim to the King.
“Twenty-five BN MPs signed the statutory declarations, out of the total of 41.
“The purpose of the SDs was also because we have lost confidence in Zahid’s transparency in representing the party when meeting the King the other day,” he told the news portal
BN currently has 41 MPs, comprising 38 Umno MPs and one each from MCA, MIC and PBRS.
Nazri has repeatedly criticised Zahid’s leadership as Umno president, calling for the Bagan Datuk MP to step down and make way for a new leader.
There has also been renewed talk of Umno MPs backing Anwar as prime minister, with deposed Perlis leader Shahidan Kassim revealing yesterday that an Umno MP had admitted to him that he signed a letter in support of the PKR president.
The Arau MP claimed that the MP signed his support on June 7 in front of Anwar and Zahid as well as a dignitary.
During the Umno annual general assembly in March, Zahid said BN would go it alone in the next general election and stressed that the party’s Supreme Council had decided on “No PPBM, no Anwar, no DAP”.
After the close of the assembly, a recording purportedly of a phone call between Anwar and Zahid had gone viral, with the police also getting involved in probing the leak. Both leaders have denied the authenticity of the recording.
