Puchong MP Yeo Bee Yin had drawn the ire of UMNO leaders following her Facebook post seen as celebrating a decision by the Kuala Lumpur High Court which rejected former premier Najib Razak’s bid to serve the remainder of his prison sentence under house arrest. Najib was UMNO’s immediate past president.
Yeo’s remark prompted UMNO secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki to question if the party should review its cooperation with those who did not appreciate the party’s contributions.
At the convention on Saturday attended by some 1,500 party members, Akmal also said that the Malays were angered by several recent incidents, including socks bearing the word ‘Allah’, cases of upside-down national flags, and alcohol being served at a government event, local news platform Free Malaysia Today reported.
He argued that it was time for Malays to unite, beginning with UMNO and PAS – the two biggest Malay parties – coming together. He added that UMNO Youth intends to become the bridge between UMNO and PAS in a bid to revive Muafakat Nasional, an electoral pact between the two parties in 2019.
However, Zahid on Tuesday said such a suggestion had been examined and rejected.
“There were discussions about reviving cooperation between UMNO-BN and the opposition, especially between UMNO and PAS, including suggestions that we look for a suitable time to leave the current government,” he said, as quoted by Buletin TV3 on Tuesday.
Muafakat Nasional fell apart when PAS and Bersatu – a splinter party of UMNO – formed Perikatan Nasional, which is now the federal opposition bloc.
Zahid said calls for cooperation with PAS through Muafakat Nasional, which resurfaced following the political crisis in Perlis at the end of last year, must be carefully considered.
Without naming any party, he said UMNO will not allow itself to be betrayed by the same party again.
“Details are important because we do not want to be ‘bitten by the same snake’ a second time in the same place,” he said.
“We want to move beyond nostalgia, that’s why it’s important to consider any move carefully. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me,” he was quoted as saying on Tuesday by Free Malaysia Today.
Source: CNA
