IN a seemingly never-ending tussle between those in favour and against Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu), a Umno leader has reminded that the fate of the party lies in in the hands of its members, not MPs.
“Umno does not decide its own fate. Our priority is the people and they decide the fate of any political party.
“And that is what happened to Pakatan Harapan (PH). They were in power for only 22 months and the same fate shall befall Perikatan Nasional (Perikatan),” said Umno supreme council member Datuk Puad Zarkashi, in a Facebook post.
While the recently concluded Umno annual general assembly (AGM) decided that the party would cut ties with Bersatu in August, those in favour of working with the minority party seem to be defying the directive.
Yesterday, Umno leader Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim told Malaysiakini that while the party supreme council may have decided to cut ties with Bersatu, the ultimate decision lies with individual MPs.
“The Umno supreme council has decided (to pull out of the Government) but I don’t know when (that will happen).
“But after the supreme council makes the decision (on when to pull out), it is the MPs who will decide whether to dissolve the Government or not.
“Finally, it is up to the MPs,” the Arau MP was reported saying.
It is to note that Shahidan was unceremoniously jeered at the AGM for suggesting the party to “renegotiate ties” with Bersatu instead of ending it.
Training his guns against Shahidan, Puad reminded to former of the importance of adhering to collective responsibility, which is far more important than an individual decision.
The former deputy minister also heaped laurels on Umno’s resilience in the face of adversities, over decades since its formation back in the 1940s.
“Shahidan may have forgotten the feud between Team A and Team B until Umno got deregistered. The losing team went out to form Semangat 46 but did Umno get destroyed?
“But over the years, Semangat 46 got disbanded and so did Parti Negara. So, it clearly shows that it’s not MPs and ministers who decide the party’s fate. Umno members decide the party’s fate,” he added. – April 4, 2021.
Photo Credit: Utusan Malaysia
