Zahid: Umno reps who betrayed Melaka govt will be sacked

KUALA LUMPUR: The Umno assemblymen who betrayed the Barisan Nasional-led Melaka government will be sacked, says party president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.“I hope the assemblymen from the party who betrayed the state government led by Barisan and Umno are ready to receive a letter of termination from the party,” he told a press conference at the Parliament lobby yesterday.

He said all Umno elected representatives, be they assemblymen or MPs, should show their loyalty to the party, especially if the state government was led by Barisan and Umno.He added that Umno assemblymen Datuk Seri Idris Haron (Sungai Udang) and Datuk Nor Azman Hassan (Pantai Kundor), who were among the four Melaka assemblymen to withdraw support for Chief Minister Datuk Seri Sulaiman Md Ali on Monday, must face the music.

Ahmad Zahid, who is also Barisan chairman, said Umno would continue to support Sulaiman as head of the caretaker Melaka government.

“My advice to him and those assisting him is to give priority to the welfare of the people of Melaka irrespective of race, religion or whether they are in urban or rural areas.“The main priority should be the people’s health and fighting the pandemic,” he added.

He also said those responsible for the collapse of the state government should not be part of Sulaiman’s caretaker government.

He said he would leave it to the Election Commission (EC) to decide on the poll date following the dissolution of the state assembly.

“I hope the EC will hold discussions with the National Security Council and the Health Ministry to determine if the state election can be held within the stipulated timeframe,” he said, noting that the EC had decided to postpone the Sarawak state polls initially scheduled to be held by June due to the pandemic.Based on the Melaka constitution, state polls must be held within 60 days of the dissolution of the state legislative assembly.

Ahmad Zahid said pending the EC’s decision, Barisan and Umno would go ahead and identify “fresh faces” for the state polls, adding that candidates must have a new approach to win back the voters’ confidence.