Putrajaya Umno backs Muhyiddin, but 143 divisions refuse to work with Bersatu
Putrajaya Umno and division chief Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor today voiced their support for Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.
They appear to be in the minority, however, as Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi revealed that 143 out of 191 divisions (74.8 percent) don't want to cooperate with Muhyiddin's party Bersatu in the next election.
FMT reported Zahid as saying the feedback was gathered via a WhatsApp...
Putrajaya Umno and division chief Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor today voiced their support for Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.
They appear to be in the minority, however, as Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi revealed that 143 out of 191 divisions (74.8 percent) don't want to cooperate with Muhyiddin's party Bersatu in the next election.
FMT reported Zahid as saying the feedback was gathered via a WhatsApp group that all party division leaders are members of.
The matter will be discussed at the Umno supreme council meeting this Wednesday.
"I hope whatever decision that will be made will be accepted as the party's decision, because a decision was made, so all must follow," he was quoted as saying by Berita Harian.
Yesterday, Johor Umno said they want to give way to Muhyiddin to defend his Pagoh parliamentary seat - which was objected to by the local Umno division.
Party leaders from Malacca, Perak, Kelantan, and Pahang, meanwhile, expressed a desire to take back seats where the MPs have defected to Bersatu.
Zahid appeared to reaffirm this stance today, saying the supreme council had decided the party will defend all the seats it won in 2018.
Tengku Adnan, however, is hopeful that ties with Bersatu can be mended.
"I am confident that if the president and supreme council, sit together with the political bureau, we can remedy the situation to provide continuity because I am hopeful Bersatu and Umno can one day reunite," he was quoted as saying by Bernama.
"I am very confused, those who are airing grievances are those who lost, not won (the general election), so I hope they don't make things worse," Tengku Adnan also said.
Umno has made several threats to withdraw support from the Bersatu-led Perikatan Nasional government before.
One serious consideration for Umno, however, will be whether it can retain support from PAS.
Umno and PAS had signed a charter to seal their Muafakat Nasional pact in September 2019.
However, following the change of government in March, PAS has leaned more towards Bersatu and is now a member of PN.
Pasir Salak MP Tajuddin Abdul Rahman, who is one of Zahid's lieutenants, yesterday chided PAS for joining PN without Umno's approval.
However, PAS appears adamant to remain neutral in the Umno-Bersatu squabble, at least for now.
Besides Tengku Adnan, Umno vice-president Ismail Sabri Yaakob also seems to be more amicable towards Bersatu.
"I understand that so far, negotiations on seat allocation are still ongoing because we are trying to avoid a clash between Umno, PAS and Bersatu,” he was quoted as saying by Bernama.
Ismail is one of four senior ministers in Muhyiddin's cabinet, a compromise made to avoid appointing a deputy prime minister.
