KUALA LUMPUR: Umno has warned its partners in the unity government against double-dealing, saying there should be no agreements made in meetings only to be broken outside them.
In an apparent jab at Pakatan Harapan, Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said that just as a buffalo is bound by its rope, a person must be bound by his word.
“Do not build an understanding during the day, only to plot against your friends at night. Do not sign an agreement only to break it at the same time.
“Let us not agree to call it the Malaysian Unity government in an agreement, only for it to later be changed to the National Unity government, which came from who knows where, and then renamed the Madani government.
“Do not agree to something in a meeting, only to do something else outside the meeting. Do not make promises with sweet words only to break them later.
“When it comes to our relationships and communicating with our friends, we may call them on the phone and agree for them to come together and stand with us, to be with our families outside and with us, and then do something else afterwards," he said.
Zahid said this in his president’s policy speech at the 2026 Umno General Assembly on Friday (Sept 11).
The Deputy Prime Minister also said Umno, Barisan Nasional and its new allies were determined not to do so should they be given a mandate to rule Putrajaya in the future.
“Therefore, my colleagues and I would like to suggest that we build this grand coalition properly through mutual understanding, and take lessons from the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, which offers a very significant lesson.
“It means that victory is not about wasting the nation’s resources or seeking revenge for past grievances.
“We do not harbour any resentment, and we are sincere. The victory later is not to punish those who chose not to be with us. The victory to come is not about widening the divisions.
“Instead, if the victory is ours, God willing, this victory, together with our other friends, will be a trust to unite the people, restore the country and build a prosperous future for everyone,” he said.
