BARISAN Nasional chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had never broached the idea of a rebranding of the coalition with the members, Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah said today. 

The Gua Musang MP said he only came to know of the proposal through the media.
 
“I read about it in the newspapers; there were no discussion (on rebranding BN), there were no talks before about making changes to BN nor was the matter discussed with the other component parties,” he said at the Parliament lobby, today.

Zahid, who is also the Umno president, had proposed that the coalition be rebranded as well as renamed to prepare for the next general election and while doing so, had expressed hope that PAS would be a part of the new front. 

Tengku Razaleigh, who is chairman of the Umno president’s advisory council, said a coalition of opposition parties was the best solution in a multi-racial country like Malaysia.

“The concept of a mixed government like Perikatan is the best as there will no longer be dependency on one race to run the country.

“We have many races and we must count them all in to determine the way we run Malaysia.
 
“There will no lbe onger a regime where the leaders run the country as they please,” said Razaleigh, adding that BN was proof that the country was run in the spirit of consensus in the last 61 years.

On Zahid’s status as Umno chief, Tunku Razaleigh said it was up to the Bagan Dato MP to decide if he wished to remain or go on leave pending the resolution of his case.

“It is the view of certain parties that the president should go on leave as that is how things have been done in the past when the leaders were involved in a court case.”

“But whether to go on leave or not, that it is up to Zahid.” – October 29, 2018.