Zahid says Umno yet to receive invite for royal audience, decision whether to support Anwar party’s to make

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 13 — Umno’s political bureau will be meeting tonight, but the issue of whether the party would be backing PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to form a new government is not on the meeting agenda tonight, its president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said today.

Asked about the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s planned meeting with the leaders of all political parties, Zahid said he is still awaiting official confirmation.

“I am still waiting for an official letter from Istana Negara, if it is true that party presidents will be decreed to have an audience,” he told reporters when met at the Kuala Lumpur court complex after his ongoing corruption trial.

Asked regarding Anwar’s claim to have more than 120 MPs’ support, Zahid said he does not have any info on this matter: “I don’t know because all the details may have been with him and presented to His Majesty.”

When asked further if there are possibly Umno MPs among the 120 MPs said to back Anwar, Zahid further said: “I don’t know. I was not informed.”

Asked if Umno as a party supports Anwar, Zahid merely replied that he respects the invitation by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to party presidents, “And we will scrutinise all information obtained as a result of party presidents after having an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.”

Pressed on if this meant that Zahid would inform the Agong of Umno’s stance on whether it supports Anwar, Zahid said: “Umno’s decision is based on decision-making process. This is basically not my decision alone, it is party’s decision. Then I have to respect the party decision.”

When asked if Umno has yet to decide whether to support Anwar, Zahid said “there is no meeting yet”, but later confirmed that the Umno political bureau will be meeting tonight.

Asked further if the issue of whether to support Anwar would be discussed in the Umno meeting tonight, Zahid merely said: “That is not in the agenda”.