‘BN open to negotiations’
> Zahid says coalition will collaborate with any party to form govt or opposition
KUALA LUMPUR: Barisan Nasional (BN) and Umno are open to hold negotiations with any quarters on the possibility of forming any form of government or opposition, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said.
While no negotiations has yet to take place, the BN acting president said the talks should be done en bloc with all party members and component parties.
“Umno supreme council members have given me the mandate to hold negotiations (with any quarters), and on what steps to be taken next by the party.
“And we will use our strength to hold these negotiations with anyone on forming a government or opposition of any form,” he told reporters after chairing the supreme council meeting yesterday.
Ahmad Zahid, who is also Umno vicepresident, said Umno and BN should also consolidate their strength to ensure that the party would provide a viable option should any talks of a collaboration were to take place.
“Although Pakatan Harapan (PH) is the government today, our party has the most MPs in parliament, a total of 54.
“We know the problems that they are facing. And I feel that we should consolidate so that any collaboration or negotiation would be in the best interest of Umno and BN,” he said.
On the two Perak assemblymen whose support for PH enabled the coalition to form the state government, Ahmad Zahid said their Umno membership has been cancelled with immediate effect.
The two assemblymen – Sungai Manik’s Datuk Zainol Fadzi Paharudin and Tualang Sekah’s Datuk Nolee Ashilin Mohd Radzi – were reported to have said they only declared support for PH in the interest of the Perak people, but that they remained Umno members.
In an immediate response, PH vicepresident Salahuddin Ayub ( pix) said the coalition would reject any form of “cheap politics” as mentioned by Ahmad Zahid.
He said PH’s MPs and assemblymen have worked hard and gone through the due process to form the new federal government, and the coalition was looking for leaders with integrity.
“From my view, if it’s true he wants to negotiate, that means he and Umno still want to form the government. We (PH) are built based on a long-standing struggle to bring Malaysia back to where it belongs.”