Have faith in the King to resolve political conundrum, says Bung Moktar

KOTA KINABALU: All parties should trust Yang di-Peruan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah to resolve the political conundrum the country is facing, says Sabah Barisan Nasional chairman Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin.

He also said that Barisan as a party must be firm in its decision to become the Opposition as decided by the party leadership.

"We are committed to the status of being the Opposition but now the situation is different. As the Opposition we must be loud. Whether we are on this side or on the other side, we have to be loud,” said Bung Moktar.

"So, I hope all parties and Barisan remain calm. It is my opinion that we keep calm and trust (Umno) president (Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi)," he said in a statement on Wednesday (Nov 23) night.

The deadlock in forming the government and the appointment of the 10th Prime Minister is still unresolved after the 15th General Election (GE15) on Nov 19 as no party or political coalition has secured the 112 seats needed for a simple majority.

GE15 saw Pakatan Harapan securing 82 seats, Perikatan Nasional (73), Barisan (30), Gabungan Parti Sarawak (23), Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (six), Warisan (three), Independent (two), Parti Bangsa Malaysia (one) and Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (one).

According to caretaker Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who is also Umno vice-president, the Barisan supreme council decided on Tuesday (Nov 22) to not support any coalition to form the government and for Barisan to be the Opposition. – Bernama