PN made mistake after mistake, its time for UMNO to leave - Shahrir

KUALA LUMPUR: It is time for UMNO to leave the Perikatan Nasional (PN) following the mistake after mistake made by the government, said party veteran Tan Sri Shahrir Abdul Samad.

In his latest post on Facebook, the former Johor Bahru Member of Parliament claimed that the post of Deputy Prime Minister and ministers were not enough to stop PN from damaging the state system in this country.

He added that the action of the authorities to prevent Members of Parliament from entering the Parliament building yesterday was a surprising act and raised many questions whether it was done on the instructions of the Cabinet.

“When I checked the MySejahtera application to see the Parliament building as a 'hotspot', it was reported that there were only four positive COVID-19 cases over a period of 14 days and within 1km of the building.

“Parliament has postponed its meeting on Monday (yesterday) when there should be a special meeting for the fifth day so that the task of the Dewan Rakyat can be carried out to dismantle the Proclamation of Emergency and revoke the emergency ordinances,” he said.

Shahrir said if the directive was made by the Cabinet, then the action would also seem to belittle the constitutional role of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

“Was everything on the instructions of the Cabinet? The same ministers who belittled the constitutional role of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong?

“But after cordoning off the Parliament building, how is it members of the PAC (Public Accounts Committee) can be allowed to enter the Parliament building area?

“This PN government has committed from one mistake to another. With the first unsolved, they added to the problem from their own action, " he added.

For that reason, Shahrir said, it was time for UMNO to take a firm stand and leave PN.

On Monday, MPs from the Opposition Bloc had gathered at Dataran Merdeka in to protest the adjournment of Parliament.

Opposition Leader, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim reiterated the claim that the PN government has now collapsed.

"The Mahiaddin (Muhyiddin) government has fallen, collapsed today. I got information that there are MPs who have asked to leave the Perikatan Nasional.

"With 107 (MPs) here plus them, the government has been overthrown," he said while addressing the rally.