KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 10 — Umno refused to cooperate with Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) because the latter’s true intentions are to bring about the demise of Umno, its president said.
Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said “dishonest” Bersatu’s public declarations that it is all for unity was merely a “cunning” act when the opposite is in fact true.
“Umno refused to cooperate with PPBM (Bersatu) of course, due to the party’s dishonesty and conspiracy to wipe out Umno.
“In fact, many of PPBM’s actions clearly reveal its agenda against Umno despite its unity propaganda,” he wrote in a Facebook post today.
Zahid was responding to criticism from several quarters within the Perikatan Nasional (PN) alliance led by Bersatu and PAS that criticised Umno for refusing to join the coalition after rejecting its unity proposal.
The Bagan Datuk MP shrugged off the criticism, however, saying Umno has always been in favour of unity, as proven by its power-sharing agreement in Barisan Nasional (BN).
“The truth is Umno has never rejected honest, sincere and true unity.
“For a long time, Umno and BN component parties have been united and worked together to govern this country,” he said.
The Umno-Bersatu spat has dominated headlines in recent weeks, as leaders from both sides trade barbs.
Although they are still in government together, the parties have faced off at the ballot box in recent months, first with the Melaka state election last November, and now, the Johor state election that is scheduled on March 12.
