SHAH ALAM, Aug 6 — Barisan Nasional (BN) should not underestimate its Pakatan Harapan rivals, PKR deputy president Datuk Seri Azmin Ali said today.
Azmin reminded the ruling federal coalition that Pakatan Harapan parties have shown themselves capable of running Selangor and Penang, which he said would convince voters they could also run the country well.
“Yes, don’t underestimate the strength of the Opposition, including Pakatan Harapan, we have shown that we are able to lead and manage Selangor, Penang and before this Perak and Kelantan, and I think we manage to convince the rakyat that we are here to stay.
“So don’t underestimate us,” he told reporters after officiating an event at the Botanical Gardens here.
The Selangor mentri besar was responding to Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin who yesterday warned his wing members against taking their political challengers lightly, including the new party to be formed by former “bigwig” Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
It was announced last Thursday that Muhyiddin will be the president of the new political party backed by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and will officially register it with the Registrar of Societies (RoS).
The pro-tem committee members for the new party are Dr Mahathir, Muhyiddin, former Wanita Umno leader Anina Saadudin, Gabungan Ketua Cawangan Malaysia president Kamarul Azman Habibur Rahman, student group Challenger leader Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman and Akhramsyah Muammar Ubaidah Sanusi.
Dr Mahathir confirmed recently that he will be a founding member of a new political party that will ally with Pakatan Harapan to ensure straight fights against the BN in national elections due by 2018.
Muhyiddin successor as deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was reported by state news agency Bernama the same day saying he has instructed RoS to approve the new party if it met all the rules.
