KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 9 ― There is no plan by Umno to sack recently-replaced Barisan Nasional (BN) secretary-general Tan Sri Annuar Musa, its vice president Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said today.
In a statement, Khaled has instead slammed Annuar for continuing to pressure Umno for a closer relationship with Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia and other Malay-dominated parties, to the point of being willing to be sacked for it.
“First, there was no news or rumors leading up to the intention to sack him,” Khaled said, referring to Annuar.
“So, why did he want to deliberately arouse the perception and sentiment of ‘victims’ like this? It will only open the door to bad misunderstandings, whether from outside or within the party.
“Secondly, it is unhealthy for him to continue to criticise the party as openly as he does now. It does not benefit Umno. It weakens camaraderie and systematically, confuses the party members,” he added.
Khaled added that Annuar knows that Umno, through its supreme council, has decided to strengthen BN while at the same time working together with PAS in Muafakat Nasional, while at the same time supporting the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government.
He also said the decline in PN’s popularity and doubts about its ability to govern the country have made the cooperation between Umno and PN no longer strategic, as there is no effort to attract support from non-Malay voters.
“Umno’s decision not to be with PN or Pakatan Harapan (PH) is because both are not even trusted by the people. Some of them have also been openly rejected. Some have been dragged to court by voters in their constituencies to be removed from office,” he said.
Khaled then told Annuar not to stay with the party if it does not suit his personal ambition.
He also asked Annuar to stop confusing party members and continue letting the party be undermined by other parties, he said alluding to the latter’s closeness to Bersatu.
“So, Umno needs all parties to be together in its struggle and help strengthen it. Instead of allowing Umno to be attacked, boxed in and even continue to defend the opponents and those who demean Umno.
“This party is bigger than the struggle and trust of an individual. Umno belongs to the people. Let the people decide the future of Umno,” he said.
Last January, Annuar accused his party’s senior leadership of “manipulating” its own grassroots, by claiming that the party is being bullied by Bersatu.
Both Malay parties have not seen eye-to-eye for months with Umno leaders occasionally publicly undermining Bersatu president and prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s government.
