DAP questions the political truce by UMNO

KUALA LUMPUR: DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang has questioned the actions of UMNO President Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi who urged all parties for a a temporary political ceasefire.

The DAP adviser said Ahmad Zahid's statement hinted as if UMNO would lose its partner in Muafakat Nasional (MN), namely Pas, if it continued to press the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government.

"It may not be a coincidence that Ahmad Zahid's statement was issued almost at the same time as the announcement of the decision of No Further Action (NFA) by the Public Prosecutor's Office on the case of violation of COVID-19 quarantine SOP by PAS Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities, (Datuk Dr) Khairudin Aman Razali.

“Maybe the UMNO leadership finds that they will not get support from PAS in this ‘Game of Thrones’, and if this happens, they cannot expect the support of PAS or the UMNO Parliamentary bloc to unite to support any decision of Ahmad Zahid and (Datuk Seri) Najib Razak blindly, ”said the Gelang Patah Member of Parliament in a statement on Thursday.

Ahmad Zahid on Wednesday stressed that Umno had decided to hold a political ceasefire to give priority to the agenda to address COVID-19 and help the people who are in difficulty.

Apart from supporting the PN government led by the Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Ahmad Zahid said the cooperation of all parties in the PN should be strengthened to ensure political stability.

Some observers were of the opinion that it indicated that UMNO and Barisan Nasional (BN) would ensure that the Supply Bill 2021 could be passed, given that the difference in the number of seats between governments was very slim.

The bill, known as the 2021 Budget, will be tabled on November 6, among others, containing measures to control the spread of COVID-19, while ensuring the economic sustainability of the country.

Meanwhile, Kit Siang said, the recent incident confirmed his view that Malaysia is in political uncertainty, with plots, subplots and reactions emerging about the form and appearance of the Malaysian government.