Following is an article published by The Malay Mail Online complete with responses by TTF (in blue):
KUALA LUMPUR: DAP’s Lim Kit Siang asked today whether Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi consulted Barisan Nasional (BN) before again proposing a so-called merger between his party Umno and PAS.
TTF: Likewise, was the DAP consulted before Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad negotiated crossovers with UMNO MPs?
The Iskandar Puteri MP also said the remark proved that Zahid has lost confidence in his own party, and his proposal to merge with PAS was a “desperate cry” in order to keep Umno alive.
TTF: That is correct.
Not only is Zahid incompetent, he is leading UMNO down the garden path by making these proposals, having party MPs think that Hadi is interested in forging an alliance with UMNO.
The fact remains, that both Hadi and the Syura Council isn’t interested in forging an alliance with Zahid on account of his associations with Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
“Zahid’s proposal is extraordinary, for in the normal course of events, any proposal for a merger would come from the smaller party, but here, the bigger party Umno is suggesting a merger with a smaller party.
TTF: Correct again.
I hate to say this, but Zahid has absolutely no idea what he’s doing.
“Although the number of Umno parliamentary seats has been reduced from 54 to 48 seats, Zahid has clearly lost confidence in his ability to restore government power to Umno unless he makes the overture of a merger between Umno and PAS.
TTF: Likewise, although the DAP has more than three times the number of parliamentary seats PPBM has, it has lost confidence in Mahathir, owing to the ongoing negotiations between PPBM, PAS and MPs from PKR and UMNO.
That explains why the DAP is playing up the ICERD card.
Basically, you guys intend to pit Mahathir against Hadi in a bid to sour things up between PPBM and PAS.
In the 14th general election, Umno won 54 federal seats to PAS’ 18.
Lim also questioned if the Bagan Datuk MP had received the mandate from the Umno supreme council, as well as its lawmakers and various wings before making the proposal.
“Or did Zahid unilaterally and without extensive discussion with other Umno and BN leaders make the proposal for a merger between Umno and PAS last night?” he asked.
TTF: No, it’s collective.
Zahid succeeded in conning the majority in the Majlis Kerja Tertinggi (MKT) into thinking that PAS is interested in forging an alliance with UMNO.
That said, and as far as I am concerned, the MKT never formally convened to discuss the matter and only discussed the possibility of there being “a working relationship” between UMNO and PAS.
Zahid reportedly made the call when he shared the stage with PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang in Perak last night, protesting the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD).
Source: The Malay Mail Online
