IPOH, July 31 — Umno’s decision not to join Perikatan Nasional (PN) did not affect the Perak government, the party’s state liaison committee chairman Datuk Saarani Mohamad said today.
Saarani, who is also the state’s Rural Development, Entrepreneur Development, Cooperatives and Consumer Affairs Committee chairman, said this was because PN was an informal coalition.
“We form the government based on the understanding by each party to save the situation at that time.
“So the decision did not affect anything. We still can function as usual, conduct meetings as usual and carry out events as usual like today,” he told reporters after attending the Aidil Adha Celebration and Warrior’s Memorial Day ceremony at Kem Syed Putra here.
However, Saarani said there might be some new discussion among the allied parties about a formal coalition as the general election was nearer.
“This is to ensure that there would be only two-cornered fights in the election. We don’t want there to be a three-cornered fight which will cost us.
“But this depends on the discretion of the leaders from each party on how to establish a good understanding,” he added.
Yesterday, Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi announced that his party will not join the PN coalition that controls the federal government.
He said his party will instead focus on developing the Muafakat Nasional (MN) partnership with PAS and the rest of Barisan Nasional (BN).
The ramifications of his announcement were not immediately clear as Zahid indicated that his party’s lawmakers would continue to support the PN administration both federally and in the states it governs.
Zahid stressed that this decision did not mean PN no longer commanded majority support in Parliament, saying that it was purely about his party’s entry into the coalition.
