Leaders holed up in political meetings

Bersatu MP Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin seen at the hotel where MPs aligned to Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin's faction is holding a meeting. - China Press

PETALING JAYA: Several important political meetings are being held at various spots here.

As of 9am, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) leaders and MPs were gathered at their headquarters at Yayasan Selangor.

Prime Minister and Bersatu chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was seen arriving for the meeting at 9.10am and was later joined with Home Minister Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

Party secretary-general Datuk Marzuki Yahya, youth wing chief Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, and Negeri Sembilan Bersatu Tan Sri Dr Rais Yatim were seen attending the meeting.

Several Bersatu lawmakers were also seen here.

At a hotel, just a kilometre away, a dozen ministers and MPs, aligned to the Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali faction in PKR, are holed up in a meeting.

Several MPs, including Bersatu MP Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin and PKR's Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, were seen walking into the meeting at the hotel.

Umno is also expected to hold a supreme council meeting at PWTC at 3pm on Sunday (Feb 23).

As of press time, Bersatu leaders are still meeting and the more than a dozen MPs are still holed up in a room which states "private event".

Meanwhile, senior leaders of Umno and PAS held their own closed-door meeting at Janda Baik, Pahang, on Saturday and Sunday. However, it is learnt that this meeting had been pre-arranged in advance.

These series of high-level meetings is fuelling talk about the possible breaking up of Pakatan Harapan, with the formation of a new coalition.

However, The Star is unable to independently verify the claims so far.

On Friday (Feb 21), Dr Mahathir said that Pakatan Harapan presidential council has given him the full discretion when to step down as the Prime Minister.

Dr Mahathir had repeatedly said that he would step down after Malaysia hosts the Apec Summit in November.

Prior to the 14th General Election, Pakatan had agreed that Dr Mahathir would be prime minister for two years before passing the baton to PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.