KUALA LUMPUR: Calling the 15th General Election a “do-or-die battle” for Barisan Nasional, Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan says he is prepared to give up his position as the coalition’s deputy chairman should it fail to form the next government.
“Our priority is the next election. We must win. If we lose, if you want the deputy chairman position, take it.
“Barisan must win. If not, it will be hard for us to come back. This is the last chance to prove we can retake Putrajaya,” he said in his speech at the Wanita Barisan Convention 2022 yesterday.
The Barisan election director also reminded coalition members and supporters that the upcoming general election will be like no other as it will be going up against several coalitions, including Pakatan Harapan and Perikatan Nasional.
However, Mohamad said the momentum from the recent by-elections and state polls had given Barisan hope of winning.
“If this is a 100m dash, then there’s only 15m left. We have to sprint to the finish line,” he added.
The Umno deputy president also said a proper explanation on the littoral combat ship (LCS) project was needed, especially at the grassroots level, so that the issue would not affect Barisan’s momentum for its election preparedness.
He noted that the LCS project had nothing to do with Barisan or any of its component parties, and that it should not be turned into an issue ahead of GE15.
“The Opposition has made accusations as if the LCS project is owned by Barisan and that these ships have gone ‘invisible’.
“We cannot allow this to go out of control. This project has no links to Barisan and is purely a company administrative issue,” he said.
Mohamad added that if there were any abuse or weaknesses, the Prime Minister had given his assurance that a probe would be carried out.
He said the project was delayed after the Pakatan Harapan government took over in 2018 and froze several projects including the LCS, the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail and the East Coast Rail Link.
“This is not like building a wooden ship; we are building a combat ship.
“All the equipment such as radar and computer systems is bought from different countries.
“I hope the people will not fall for such accusations, especially those made by the PKR deputy president (a reference to Rafizi Ramli). It is our duty to counter his allegations with facts,” he said.
