KUALA LUMPUR: Umno expects more opposition MPs to shift their allegiance to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, says its President.
Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said that although some may regard the shift of allegiance from Perikatan Nasional to the Madani Government as another form of “hopping parties” despite the anti-hopping laws in place.
He added that the support offered by the Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) MPs must be accepted without prejudice and a presumption that it is genuine.
The Deputy Prime Minister also called on Umno divisions to continue to work hard to regain the votes for Umno in the next general election and not be distracted by the shifting of allegiances.
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He said this after handing over letters of appointment to the members of the Advisory Council of the National Association of Skilled Workers at the Parliament on Thursday (Nov 9).
“We expect more than four MPs to shift their allegiance to Prime Minister Anwar. We must not be prejudiced and take the support offered to the Prime Minister in good faith.
“However, as the four MPs from Bersatu were formerly Umno members, there might be some discomfort on the part of Umno divisions in those constituencies when they shifted allegiances.
“This is due to the fact that in the last general election, Umno lost to these four MPs.
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“Therefore, as Umno is a political entity, although there is a shift of allegiance from the MPs, Umno divisions should not be complacent but continue to work hard to return the votes to Umno in the next election,” said Ahmad Zahid.
He also said that the Umno Supreme Council has yet to discuss the scenario should those Bersatu MPs who have shifted allegiance request to rejoin Umno later on.
Ahmad Zahid was commenting on the four Perikatan MPs from Kuala Kangsar, Labuan, Gua Musang and Jeli, who had announced that they would support the Prime Minister as they needed allocations for their constituency.
On Oct 12, Kuala Kangsar MP Datuk Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid declared his support for Anwar, followed by Labuan MP Datuk Dr Suhaili Abdul Rahman soon after.
Gua Musang MP Mohd Azizi Abu Naim and Jeli MP Zahari Kechik declared allegiance to Anwar on Nov 7 and 8, respectively.
