KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 19 — Two meetings will be held, one today and the other tomorrow, to resolve issues affecting the country’s political impasse, The Star reported today.
The local newspaper said Muafakat Nasional (MN) will be gathering today at an undisclosed location to hash out issues between two of its member parties: Umno and Bersatu.
Following this, the Umno supreme council will be meeting at 3pm tomorrow at a yet-to-be-determined location in Pahang to discuss several pertinent issues, Umno information chief Sharil Suffian Hamdan was quoted as saying by the report.
Shahril told The Star that among the issues on the agenda were Umno’s place in the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition and Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s claims of support from Umno MPs to form a new government.
“I am sure that all will be discussed, but I’m hoping that we will also discuss things that matter to the rakyat,” he told The Star.
He said Umno’s proposals for economic recovery and the Covid-19 pandemic would also be discussed in the meeting.
The Star also reported that last Saturday, party presidents from Umno, PAS and Bersatu had met together with their secretaries-general.
The exact nature of the proceedings is unclear, but the meeting was apparently confirmed by Pasir Puteh MP Datuk Nik Muhammad Zawawi Salleh of PAS when contacted by The Star.
The relationship between Umno, PAS and Bersatu has grown increasingly tense of late as discussions regarding their standing in MN and PN bounce back and forth with still no resolution in sight.
Umno last week reiterated that it preferred to build up MN with PAS rather than join the PN coalition.
Meanwhile, last Tuesday, Opposition Leader Anwar had an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to show he had support from Dewan Rakyat lawmakers to form a new government.
However, he reportedly did not provide the Agong with the names of the MPs who are said to support him, and only showed their collective number instead.
