GE15: Zahid to meet Umno division chiefs next month
Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is scheduled to meet party division chiefs next month to listen to the grassroots as part of preparations to face the 15th general election.
The series of meetings will be organised by Umno elections director Tajuddin Abdul Rahman. He told Malaysiakini that the meetings would touch on how to wrest back control of the federal government.
"(The meetings are) to listen to the grassroots on matters pertaining current political issues and...
Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is scheduled to meet party division chiefs next month to listen to the grassroots as part of preparations to face the 15th general election.
The series of meetings will be organised by Umno elections director Tajuddin Abdul Rahman. He told Malaysiakini that the meetings would touch on how to wrest back control of the federal government.
"(The meetings are) to listen to the grassroots on matters pertaining current political issues and preparation for the general election including on strategies for the party to win big and make a comeback as a ruling party," he said.
Asked if the meetings would discuss the cooperation between Umno and Bersatu, Tajuddin said it is not on the list but the leadership will listen if the topic is raised.
It is no secret that the relationship between Bersatu and Umno has been sour especially after the Sabah snap polls in September this year. Umno was looking to clinch the chief minister's post but it eventually ended in Bersatu's hands.
On top of that, several Umno leaders accused Bersatu of sidelining their party by not accepting Umno's demands for the recently passed Budget 2021.
The budget was passed despite not including Umno's initial conditions for supporting it, including allowing a one-off withdrawal of RM10,000 from EPF Account 1 as well as an automatic loan moratorium.
Tensions were raised further when Bersatu deputy president Ahmad Faizal Azumu was toppled from his post as Perak menteri besar through a confidence motion in the state assembly earlier this month.
Umno's Abd Manap Hashim had brought the motion but he himself did not support Ahmad Faizal. The latter only garnered 10 votes against 48 votes against him.
He was replaced by Umno assemblyperson Saarani Mohammad.
Admitting the tension, Tajuddin said that based on a survey, two-thirds of division leaders rejected the cooperation with Bersatu.
"That means the support from Umno lawmakers would be until the next general election or until the Parliament is dissolved. After that, we go our own way.
"After the election, if we want to form a government together, we will have a separate discussion.
"Usually, a party with the most seats will helm the government," he added.
In a recent interview, Umno advisory board chairperson Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah had reiterated that his party is strong enough without Bersatu and PAS.
He said this was proven with Umno's electoral track record.
In the 14th general election, Umno won 54 seats. However, the lawmakers for 16 of them have since defected to Bersatu.
Despite sharing federal power, Umno did not officially join the Perikatan Nasional coalition with Bersatu and PAS. Instead, it relayed its intention to strengthen ties with PAS via their Muafakat Nasional coalition.
BN secretary-general Annuar Musa recently said seat distribution discussions for the general election between Umno and PAS have reached 60 to 70 percent, but a detailed discussion with Bersatu had yet to begin.
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