PAU2020: UMNO Youth supports severing ties with Bersatu - Asyraf Wajdi

KUALA LUMPUR: UMNO Youth supports the decision of the party's Supreme Working Council (MKT) earlier which wanted to sever ties with Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) ahead of the 15th General Election (GE15).

Its chief, Datuk Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki, said the move should be taken, especially after Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was reported hinting that he would defend all the seats the party had contested in the 14th General Election (GE14).

"I follow a lot of matters involving politics, we discuss the hottest issue of the relationship with Bersatu which has been decided (by MKT). We all agree, UMNO Youth supports the decision of the MKT. It means it’s unanimous.

"Coincidentally, in our debate and conference, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had just said to contest all the seats contested by UMNO.

"What does it mean? It is clear that he (Muhyiddin) gave a signal, he will not compromise with seats that we (UMNO) cannot compromise. He will contest all UMNO seats ," he said when winding up the debate on the Youth Movement in conjunction with the 2020 UMNO General Assembly (PAU 2020) here, on Saturday.

In fact, he explained, some state UMNO Youth delegates also clearly asked the party leadership to sever ties with Bersatu.

"I observed earlier that the six state delegates clearly asked the leadership to firmly sever ties with Bersatu. We cannot rely on others, we have dignity and our own identity.

"We have to be ready to offer something to the people, and the people are waiting for us, but we have to be firm ... explain our stance, we move forward ... in this context I propose the aspect of a new offer," he said.

Earlier, Muhyiddin was reported to have hinted that he would defend all the seats that the party had contested in GE14 if UMNO did not want to tolerate giving up the seats in GE15.

Muhyiddin was also reported to have stressed that he had no objection if UMNO did not want to work with Bersatu in the next election.