Speaking at Umno’s 79th anniversary celebration at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur today, Zahid said those pushing the narrative that Umno has bowed to DAP had allied with the party themselves in Pakatan Rakyat and Barisan Alternatif for almost a decade.

“They formed the government with DAP to take us down in the 2018 general election, and went against their own principles by using the PKR logo.

“Umno has never let any of its members pray in front of the DAP office. Ironically, Umno was also called infidels when it began working with MCA and MIC.

“Today, they copy our model. This is political hypocrisy,” he said in an apparent jab at PAS and Perikatan Nasional.

Zahid called on party members not to fall victim to such tricks, and emphasised that all major decisions in Umno are made collectively through discussions.

“They come from collective deliberation and a spirit of leadership that thinks of the party’s future. We will not betray the dignity of our struggle as long as we have your trust,” he said.

He also said Umno’s cooperation with other parties, including DAP, under the unity government’s banner was a decision made for the nation’s sake.

“The unity government was formed by 18 political parties, including Barisan Nasional, Pakatan Harapan, Gabungan Parti Sarawak and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah.

“It is a cross-coalition cooperation for the sake of stability,” he said.