The UMNO Veterans’ Club secretary-general stated that UMNO members voting for Perikatan Nasional (PN) in protest of Zahid will only decrease the party’s influence in the federal government.
Mustapha advised the UMNO grassroots to learn from the 15th General Election (GE15) which, he said, saw UMNO members voting for PN in protest against Zahid but failing to affect his position as party president.
“They tried to register protest votes (by voting for PN) in hopes that this would pile the pressure on Zahid, but it had no effect.
“Zahid still had the backing of the UMNO general assembly, as it agreed that the UMNO president’s post should not be contested in the recent party elections,” news portal Free Malaysia Today reported him as saying.
Moreover, Mustapha is of the opinion that UMNO members should focus on strengthening the party’s position in the unity government rather than focusing on efforts to force Zahid to resign as president.
He further stated that UMNO should ensure UMNO wins at the state polls because their goal is to be in government.
If UMNO loses, it won’t cause Zahid to fall or step down, according to him.
Furthermore, UMNO had its worst electoral performance in GE15, winning only 26 parliamentary seats, 28 fewer than the 54 it gained in GE14, which saw BN driven out of Putrajaya.
There is speculation that the UMNO grassroots will vote for PN in the state elections to showcase their dissatisfaction with Zahid’s leadership, including over the decision to work with PH. – June 29, 2023
