KUALA LUMPUR: A group of disgruntled Umno grassroots leaders caused a stir at the Umno headquarters on Sunday (Nov 20), calling for party president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to step down.
The group caught media personnel by surprise when they began chanting loudly at the lobby of Menara Dato Onn at the World Trade Centre KL at about 4pm Sunday, calling for Ahmad Zahid to resign.
"Undur Zahid, undur, undur. (Bow out Zahid, bow out, bow out).
"No Anwar, No DAP," the group chanted.
Speaking to reporters later, KLCC Umno branch chief Datuk Seri Dzulkarnain Mokhtar said that Ahmad Zahid has to take full responsibility for Umno's loss in the 15th General Election (GE15).
"It is not that we don't love him.
"We respect him but somebody has to pay the price.
"Zahid has to take responsibility for the results and failure by the Barisan Nasional coalition in failing to become the dominant party in the polls.
"He should take the respectful decision to bow out and not wait until a vote of no confidence is moved against him," he told reporters here.
Dzulkarnain said that he and the others with him did not mind being expelled by the party for their calls to oust Ahmad Zahid.
"We will light the spark to start the movement for Zahid to bow out.
"We may be expelled by the party but it does not matter as we are merely voicing what the grassroots feel,” he added.
Several Umno leaders have openly called for Ahmad Zahid to resign.
This comes after Umno suffered its biggest loss in history by winning only 27 seats in GE15.
Jalan Hang Jebat Umno branch chief Mohd Zailan Mokhtar voiced disappointment at hearing talk that Ahmad Zahid may be seeking an alliance with Pakatan Harapan in a bid to form the government.
He said this was against what the Umno general assembly had decided.
"The party has decided against a coalition with Pakatan and we had said, no Anwar and no DAP.
"Why should there be talk of such a coalition," he said.
In March last year, the Umno general assembly decided against working with Pakatan by adopting the “No DAP, No Anwar, No Bersatu” policy in the GE15.
Mohd Zailan said that Ahmad Zahid's insistence on having early polls was against the King's wish to see Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob completing the full parliamentary term.
"The rakyat can now see what happens when the advice of the King is disregarded," he added.
