People lost faith in Barisan following Sheraton Move, says Umno supreme council member

MELAKA: The people lost faith and trust in Barisan Nasional when it formed a coalition government through the Sheraton Move, says Umno Supreme Council member Isham Jalil.

Isham said throughout Barisan’s 22 months as the Opposition following the 14th general election (GE14), support gradually returned but was later redacted following the Sheraton move in 2020.

“As the Opposition, Umno and Barisan had the opportunity to rebuild their credibility and regain the people’s trust, as compared to being part of the government,” he said in a statement on Sunday (Nov 20).

The Sheraton Move refers to an exodus of several PKR MPs to opposing parties in February 2020, which saw the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan government after just 22 months in power.

Isham said the people’s mandate in making Barisan part of the Opposition should also be respected.

“I suggest that Barisan remain as the Opposition (this time) so we can provide checks and balances to the government.

“We should also refrain from being part of any coalition government,” he said.

This comes after Barisan slumped to a huge defeat in the 15th general election (GE15), with the coalition winning only 30 seats of the 175 it contested.

Isham, Barisan’s candidate in Shah Alam, also lost to Pakatan’s Azli Yusof for the federal seat.