Anwar and I only bumped into each other in Parliament, at weddings - Ahmad Zahid

KUALA LUMPUR: UMNO president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has stressed that his meeting with PKR President Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was only when they bumped into each other in Parliament or at a weddings.

In an exclusive interview with The Star, the Member of Parliament for Bagan Datuk stressed that no discussions had taken place, either formally or informally, on political cooperation between the two parties.

However, when asked about the possibility of an understanding between UMNO and PKR before the next general election, Ahmad Zahid said everything is possible in politics.

“Yes, Anwar and I bumped into each other each other in Parliament, or at a wedding. But there was no discussion (as alleged), either formally or not.

"Not with me, not with Mat Hasan (UMNO Deputy President Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan)," he told the newspaper, when interviewed in conjunction with the UMNO General Assembly which will take place on March 27 and 28.

On March 15, Anwar, who is also the chairman of Pakatan Harapan, revealed that there were informal discussions between the two parties.

The Port Dickson MP said the initial discussions involved the leadership of both parties and it had shown positive developments.

“(Discussion) with the party leadership and it is just an initial discussion. But in this initial discussion, what impression did I get? It's a positive one. Because we understand them (UMNO) better and they understand us better,” he added.

Answering a question if any other UMNO leaders met with Anwar on the matter, Ahmad Zahid said the question should be put to the PH chairman himself.

However, he stressed that UMNO has never given a mandate to any of its leaders or members to hold discussions on the issue.

"Currently, there are no discussions, either with PKR, DAP, or Pakatan Harapan," he added.