KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 5 — Umno could discuss its parliamentarians’ positions in the federal government when the party holds its working committee meeting tomorrow, secretary-general Datuk Ahmad Maslan said today.
Earlier today, the party was forced to deny a report claiming that president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi ordered all Umno federal lawmakers to withdraw from their government positions by February.
“That (alleged directive) is just a news report,” Ahmad told reporters after attending a meeting with all party division chiefs at the Putra World Trade Centre here.
“Whatever that was discussed in the meeting (just now), we will carry forward and deliberate at the working committee meeting. The final decision on all matters discussed (today) will be made by the supreme council,” he added.
The rumour that Zahid had ordered all Umno MPs to quit their government posts emerged in the wake of Datuk Ahmad Jazlan Yaakub’s resignation as chairman of the Malaysian Palm Oil Board yesterday, in a move seen as an attempt to force a snap election.
The Umno MP for Machang was reported as saying he was prepared to resign if PN failed to dissolve Parliament by month-end.
Kelantan Umno has also said in a statement that the resignation is a warning to ally Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia against “bullying” Umno.
The communications team from the party’s headquarters issued a brief statement this afternoon calling the news report of the purported directive as “slander”.
Still, speculation that Umno is plotting to force early elections continued to linger on social media.
Shortly after Umno issued a denial, its leader Khairy Jamaluddin said he was prepared to resign from the federal Cabinet if his party orders its lawmakers to withdraw from the government.
Barisan Nasional also removed senior Umno leader Tan Sri Annuar Musa as its secretary-general today and replaced him with Ahmad Maslan.
Ahmad Maslan told reporters this evening that among the key agenda at today’s meeting was Zahid’s instruction for the party to prepare for the polls.
“We have to prepare for elections,” the Umno secretary-general said.
“This was a very important message the president had conveyed, and it was also the core message of the speech he delivered at the Bagan Datoh annual meeting,” Ahmad added, referring to Zahid’s constituency.
