HISHAMMUDDIN Hussein has no authority to call Barisan Nasional MPs to a meeting with PKR lawmakers, Umno’s Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz said.

The former BN secretary-general questioned why a such a meeting could not have been held in Parliament, instead of meeting secretly as PKR deputy president Azmin Ali’s residence last night.

“If it was about Hishammuddin and Azmin wanting to join forces, it’s the party that has to decide on this. He (Hishammuddin) is no longer a leader in the party.

“What position does he have to call BN MPs to meet Azmin,” Nazri, who is Padang Rengas MP, told The Malaysian Insight.

Hishammuddin was formerly an Umno vice-president. The Sembrong MP, like Nazri, currently does not hold any position in Umno or BN.

Hishammuddin earlier today said he was not the organiser of the meeting, and insisted he had nothing to hide if questioned by the Umno disciplinary board.

He was among 22 BN MPs who met with several of their PKR opposite numbers at Azmin’s official residence in Putrajaya last night.

The two-hour meeting is speculated to be about stopping attempts to oust Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, following Pakatan Harapan’s defeat in the Tanjung Piai by-election on Saturday by a 15,000-vote margin.

There were immediately calls for Dr Mahathir to step down as the by-election result was seen as a referendum on PH’s performance after 18 months in power. – November 19, 2019.