KUALA LUMPUR, March 25 — Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin today clarified that Umno ministers met at a hotel in Putrajaya this morning to have breakfast together as they had not broken bread in a while.
He added that the gathering had not been organised to talk about dissolving Parliament.
His comments came after Utusan Malaysia reported the meeting earlier today, which it claimed had raised a lot of eyebrows.
"(Umno supreme council member) Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican paid for the breakfast. It had nothing to do with dissolving Parliament.
"We just had not met for a long time, so we decided to just catch up," Khairy, who is also the Umno MP for Rembau, was quoted as saying by The Star during a press conference after a working visit to the Malaysian Red Crescent.
Utusan Malaysia reported that Umno ministers and deputy ministers had gathered at a hotel in Putrajaya, with several of them arriving as early as 8.45am.
Among those spotted were Khairy himself, Reezal, Communications and Multimedia Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa, Federal Territories Minister Datuk Shahidan Kassim, National Unity Minister Datuk Halimah Sadique, Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister Tan Sri Noh Omar and Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Noraini Ahmad.
The recently concluded Umno General Assembly saw several blocs within the party pushing for an early 15th general election (GE15).
However, on the final day of the assembly, Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the party’s top five leaders were united when it came to making decisions involving party matters and the interests of the people.
Acknowledging that there was ‘chatter’ about friction between party leaders and the government which was also touched upon in the debates of Umno delegates and party wings, he said the allegations proved to be unfounded.
The term “Top Five” was thrown around a lot too, to convey the impression that the president, deputy and vice-presidents of the party are all in sync.
On GE15, Ahmad Zahid said he would leave it up to the wisdom of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob — who is also an Umno vice-president — to determine the actual date.
