KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 29 — Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi does not have any negotiation right on when the next national election should take place since he is not a signatory to the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the government and Pakatan Harapan (PH), Lim Guan Eng said.

The DAP secretary-general told Utusan Malaysia that the Umno man should respect the agreement the Opposition coalition made with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri, which included holding off the dissolution of Parliament before July next year.

He reportedly added that if there were to be any negotiations to the agreement, including the election date, it should come from the parties that signed the MoU and not the Umno president.

“So Ahmad Zahid, don't take more than a spoonful of gravy. We have to hold on to what is signed unless there is a big issue because the MoU involves the Anti-Party Hopping law, the 1963 Malaysia Agreement, Undi18 and the Covid-19 fund injection.

“So that is what should be implemented,” Lim was quoted saying by the Malay daily when contacted.

Zahid had told the Sunday edition of Utusan Malaysia yesterday that the MoU is not “holy scripture” that forbids any national election before July 2022.

The Bagan Datuk MP said that it did not mean the agreements were inviolable but simply that there was always room for negotiations based on a consensus decision.

The MoU, signed in September by Ismail Sabri and PH party leaders, agreed that there should not be a dissolution of Parliament at least until July 21 next year.

This would allow enough time to implement the various reforms requested by PH in exchange for the Opposition not obstructing the government's main agenda.

Zahid was not the first to speak against the MoU, as Umno Youth chief Datuk Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki had earlier claimed that PH did not look serious in fulfilling the agreement when the Opposition coalition encouraged former Umno assemblymen who defected to overthrow the previous Umno-Bersatu-led Melaka state government.