KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 1 — Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi today warned action against disloyal BN politicians, even going as far to describe them as “hopping reptiles”.
Zahid who is also Umno president, said such politicians would eventually know his reaction when the time came, Malaysiakini reported him saying at the 66th MCA annual general assembly today.
“We are not reptiles, we are not becoming hopping reptiles.
“When we are being tested, we want to see who has become the hopping reptile.
“Don’t forget, I am watching. Don’t forget, the power to sign the appointment letter to become a candidate is vested on the BN chairperson,” he was quoted saying.
Zahid said these politicians should not expect him to sign their appointment letters when the time came.
“Barisan Nasional is a principled coalition. Only those who are loyal to BN and its allies can go beyond,” he added.
His remark came several weeks after several BN lawmakers, including former vice-president Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein who is Sembrong MP, met with political foe and Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Azmin Ali, two days after Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) loss in Tanjung Piai.
Rumours were that the discussions entailed a possibility of another mass exodus from BN to PH, though several attendees have since denied it, saying their talks concerned shared national interest, including the ruling coalition’s Shared Prosperity Vision national narrative.
Separately, vernacular paper China Press reported Zahid saying the PH coalition was not an auspicious entity as it comprised four component parties as the number was taboo among the Chinese community.
In Chinese, the number four shares a similar pronunciation as the word for death.
“Pakatan Harapan has four component parties. I used to not believe in the numbers. But now I believe when the Chinese say four is not an auspicious number as it means death.
“BN has three main parties. The number three represents life. It means continuous life and growth, implying BN would continue to remain strong,” he was quoted saying.
