Muhammad Faiz Na’aman said PPBM, as well as PAS, its partner in PN, had offered to work together to unite the “ummah” and bring an end to the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government.
“But this has been replied with arrogance, accusations as well as threats by the party that had already been voted out by the people in the last general election (GE14),” he said in a statement today.
He said he was not surprised by some Umno leaders saying they would not work with PPBM in the next general election, adding that the people can judge for themselves the hypocrisy and political drama staged by Umno.
“From the polemic of statutory declarations supporting Anwar Ibrahim as prime minister, to the revelation that they didn’t want to register Muafakat Nasional (MN), the people can see Umno’s hypocrisy,” he added.
Faiz, however, heaped praise on Barisan Nasional (BN) secretary-general Annuar Musa, Umno vice-president Ismail Sabri Yaakob and Arau MP Shahidan Kassim, saying they were the few Umno men who were rational and who prioritised unity.
Several prominent Umno leaders have called for the party to retract its support for the PN government. This followed various Umno divisions, which held their annual general meeting over the weekend, saying the grassroots support such a move.
Former prime minister Najib Razak said Umno cannot get used to its supporting role in the current administration as it would kill off the party slowly, while Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah urged MPs to retract their support for PN if snap polls are not called by the first quarter of this year.
Machang MP Ahmad Jazlan Yaakub also said he was ready to resign as the chairman of the Malaysian Palm Oil Board if PN does not dissolve Parliament by the end of January.
Meanwhile, Umno’s Pagoh division had unanimously passed a resolution objecting to the Johor Umno leadership’s decision for the party to make way for PPBM president Muhyiddin Yassin in the parliamentary seat in GE15.
Pulai Umno also became the first division in the country to pass a resolution asking party leaders to quit the PN government immediately to force a general election.
Meanwhile, in Sabah, another PPBM Supreme Council member has threatened to lodge a police report over claims that his party was trying to “steal and buy” Umno members.
Abqaree Fawwaz Abekan, who is also a national PPBM Youth Exco member, said the allegations by Umno Youth chief Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki were excessive and one that should not have been made without proper checking.
“We will make a police report and will not hesitate to bring this matter to justice,” he said, in a statement here today.
“He should not have issued an accusation (but) instead found a formula to strengthen relations (between Umno and PPBM) and not muddy the situation further.”
Asyraf had last week urged PPBM to stop all attempts at “stealing and buying” over its members, following claims from its grassroots that they were offered between RM100 and RM5,000 for individuals to swap parties.
Abqaree, who is Sepanggar PPBM youth chief, also slammed Sabah Umno Youth chief Abdul Aziz Julkarnain for backing up Asyraf as well as claiming PPBM had lured almost all of the state Umno members to join the party.
He said when Umno was in the opposition in 2018 and 2019, many of its members left the party of their own accord and joined parties in Pakatan Harapan.
“Hence, it is not fair for Umno to accuse PPBM of stealing its members,” he said, adding: “even if there were members who joined PPBM at that time, Umno cannot blame us because it was their choice.”
“But it would be different now after the understanding struck between the parties.”