UMNO and Barisan Nasional (BN) will lose the upcoming 15th General Elections (GE15) if it is not held as soon as possible, UMNO president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has warned.
The BN chairperson claimed Pakatan Harapan (Pakatan) was going all out to “threaten” the confidence of UMNO-BN grassroots by “spinning” issues to the opposition’s advantage.
However, these issues are “fragmented” and “do not capture the full picture”, Zahid noted in a Facebook post today.
“In other words, they (Pakatan leaders) attack, spin and then try to make it seem that they are the best, although their 22-month stint in power proved otherwise,” the Bagan Datuk MP said.
Zahid made reference to Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s sudden resignation as Pakatan’s prime minister in 2020, which the former alluded came about after the latter “realised the Pakatan manifesto could not be fulfilled”.
He was referring to the Langkawi MP’s off-reported remark that Pakatan’s 14th General Elections (GE14) manifesto was “not a Bible” and did not take into account the Government’s fiscal state.
Zahid added that the UMNO leadership and grassroots are confident that now is the best time to hold GE15, with justifications being made for such a call several times in the past.
“What is pertinent is that UMNO does not want the opposition to continue using the months leading up to the dissolution of Parliament to attack BN,” the former deputy prime minister said.
“Giving ammo to the enemy”
This is because if GE15 is delayed, UMNO-BN is giving “ammunition to the enemy to continue attacking”.
“That is why no one from the opposition has asked for Parliament to be dissolved – even though in the past (they would) belittle the current Government (by saying) that it doesn’t have the rakyat’s mandate, it’s a backdoor Government and so on,” he claimed.
Zahid added that the opposition’s worries were evident after Mahathir recently admitted that UMNO wanted GE15 to be held in the next two to three months because the public still holds the party in high regard, and that the opposition is “broken up and disorganised”.
As a result, UMNO will most likely “win big”, the Pejuang chairman said during an interview with AP published yesterday (Aug 19),
Zahid said Mahathir was “forced” to admit that having an early GE15 was a good thing from the Government’s point of view as it is ready while the opposition is not.
“Now it is up to the Government leaders to immediately carry out the UMNO leadership and grassroots’ demand,” Zahid said. “Hold GE15 soon or UMNO-BN will lose.”
In a separate Facebook post, Zahid reminded his followers to be vigilant against the “daily nonsense” from the opposition against BN – aimed at “inciting fear, hatred and anxiety just like it did leading up to GE14”.
“When they were in the opposition, they were spewing nonsense, when they were in the Government they spewed nonsense and even now they are spewing nonsense while back as the opposition again,” he alleged.
“Therefore, those voting in GE15 – their targets – must be more cautious when faced with their nonsense.”
He added that BN “continued fighting” for the rakyat even after it lost the 2018 polls because it “loves them and the country”. – Aug 20, 2022
Main photo credit: The Malaysian Insight
