BARISAN Nasional secretary-general Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir has rubbished claims by Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu that there were UMNO grassroot leaders and members who will support Perikatan Nasional (PN) in the forthcoming state polls.
Zambry, who is also the Foreign Minister said that is the Bersatu deputy president’s personal view and as a politician, it is common for him to make such claims.
“As a politician [Faizal] will claim this and that. That is his personal view and we have our own. We are confident in doing all we can to make the country stable and will continue to give our best services to the people,” the UMNO Supreme Council member was reported as saying by The Star.
“Therefore, in terms of having support or not, we shall see during the state polls.”
Speaking at a press conference at Wisma Putra on Monday (July 17) after chairing the second Consultative Council Meeting on Foreign Policy (CCMFP) at the ministry, Zambry stressed that the unity government’s focus was to ensure political stability and restore investor confidence.
“That is our focus under the leadership of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who has asked us to give full focus to rebuilding the country,” he remarked.
“So, in terms of having support or not, we will see during the state elections. For us, we have the confidence to preserve the momentum to create more growth for the country.”
Recently, Faizal, who is also the Negri Sembilan PN chairman, reportedly said that he had received immense support from UMNO grassroots members and leaders during his visit to the state.
He also claimed that UMNO grassroots had met with him privately for a discussion on how to ensure PN’s success in the forthcoming state polls.
He reportedly went on to claim that he had met with all UMNO and Wanita division leaders as well as Youth and Puteri officials in the state.
On a separate matter, Zambry said Malaysia must be seen as a “middle power” when navigating the current geopolitical and security developments around the world in order to balance its position between global superpowers.
He said the vital element would be to remain neutral in order to prevent any relations with a major power from unbalancing Malaysia.
He said the country was situated in a strategic position at the South China Sea and Straits of Melaka, which required it to take a pragmatic in all situations.
He said the country’s non-interference policy was also important to reflect that it was not siding with any party.
When quizzed if the meeting had discussed the existential threat of artificial intelligence as mentioned by the United Nations, Zambry clarified that it was only discussed in general.
According to Zambry, other matters touched on at the meeting included global economic challenges, projection of the global economy and impact of the United States and China trade war. – July 18, 2023
Main pic credit: The Star
