He said Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi himself had requested that MN not be registered, adding that the alliance will remain as a platform to unite the “ummah”.
“Some say MN has not been registered because the name is being used by other parties; some say it’s because the party’s constitution isn’t ready yet.
“Let me explain. Based on what I know, we made the decision not to register MN as a political party.
“It will remain as a platform to support the uniting of the ummah, which is not exclusive to Umno and PAS.
“In fact, it’s open to other political parties and even NGOs that have the same intention of uniting the ummah, without MN being registered,” he said.
Umno and PAS had previously agreed to officially register MN with the Registrar of Societies (RoS), in preparation for the 15th general election.
Annuar’s revelation comes weeks after PAS decided to officially be part of the Perikatan Nasional coalition (as a component party) earlier this month. BN is not a part of the PN entity.
Most recently, PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man told FMT that MN could not be registered as the name had already been taken and registered with the RoS.
Annuar also dismissed claims that he was the reason why MN had failed to be registered, saying he had formulated MN’s constitution and logo himself.
“So far, the MN steering committee, chaired by Tuan Ibrahim and Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan, has agreed and decided that MN does not need to be registered as a political party. This is the fact of the matter.”
‘Don’t challenge me’
Annuar dismissed criticism levelled against him by certain Umno leaders, who had urged the party’s leadership to take disciplinary action against him and to leave the PN government.
“Don’t challenge me. The party’s decision, which is to reject working with PKR president Anwar Ibrahim and DAP, still stands.
“If we leave PN, where will we go? Do we want to be with DAP and PKR, or what?
“If that’s the way out, we will discuss it, but at the appropriate place. Not on Facebook or in a WhatsApp group chat.
“I have come under fire from some Umno Supreme Council members, but I did not fight back. That’s not my style.”
Annuar said he could fight back against leaders who questioned his credibility, claiming he had opposed Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah in the past, but maintained that he would not do so if it would cause division.
“I have my principles and when the time comes, I will defend these,” he said.
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