Zahid: Muafakat Nasional not a 'back door' method to form government

KUALA LUMPUR: Muafakat Nasional – the alliance between Umno and PAS – will not change the government through the back door, says Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Instead, the Umno president said it would do it the "right way" and win a general election.

"Although the front and back doors (to form the government) are now wide open, we will enter from the front.

"We will form our own government and do so in accordance with the Federal Constitution," he said in his presidential address at the opening of the 2019 Umno general assembly on Friday (Dec 6).

Also present were MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong, his deputy Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon, PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi.Awang and MIC president Tan Sri SA Vigneswaran.

Ahmad Zahid said that Muafakat Nasional, formed on Sept 14, went through its first acid test during the Tanjung Piai by-election and Barisan Nasional's victory proved that the alliance is above any other ideologies.

"It also quashed the perception that the cooperation between the two largest Malay-based parties is racist and 'Taliban'," he said.

As for Umno, the president said that the party must undergo modernisation for it to survive and remain relevant in today's political landscape.

The party, said Ahmad Zahid must ensure it has political resilience through change in attitude and mindset but must also keep themselves up to date in terms of technological evolution.

"Umno also needs to be politically balanced to neutralise the cult politics in Malaysia today. Umno is not rigid, racist nor is it too liberal.

"We must adopt balanced politics which protects the rights of non-Malays, openness and administering the nation according to the Federal Constitution and social contract," he said.