YAN, July 16 – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has warned UMNO members and former members not to give their votes to Perikatan Nasional (PN) at all. The Chairman of Pakatan Harapan (PH) said that the action of UMNO members, as well as former UMNO members, voting for PN is a major betrayal against the party. “A vote from a former (or) UMNO member to the enemy (opposition party) is a great betrayal to the nation, the party, and the religion. That is our understanding and belief.
“For us, it is better to uphold Islam in this multiracial country through our approach. If they take the lead, it is more frightening, and the country, with its diverse races and religions, will see the seeds of division with UMNO,” he said. Anwar made these remarks during a speech at the Unity Outreach Program and the Launch of the Unity Machinery in Kedah at Padang Awam Guar Chempedak on Saturday.
In light of this, he said that party leaders have a responsibility to explain to UMNO members not to listen to the advice of the enemy if they want to save the party and the country. “There are former UMNO ministers who listen to the whispers of the enemy, claiming that there is no choice but to join PAS to save UMNO. What kind of fatwa is that? “So, make sure we work together as a team. It takes time, and it may seem like there is unity at the top, but there is still unease below.
The leadership has the responsibility to be firm and courageous, to have confidence and to deliver,” he said. Therefore, he said that the leadership of PH-BH should not be worried when facing the agenda of their opponents. They should also know how to save the party and the country by building collective strength. In a related development, he reminded that there were leaders from Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) who, when they were in power, wanted UMNO to be banned.
Anwar claimed that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had planned to ban UMNO after coming to power in 2018. However, Anwar said he vehemently opposed the idea, and it was not supported by Lim Guan Eng and Mohamad Sabu. Because of this, he wonders whether UMNO members want to support Bersatu, which aims to ban UMNO if it returns to power.
