Bersatu meeting ends, Dr Mahathir and top leaders mum

Alfian Z.M. Tahir Alfian Z.M. Tahir Updated 4 years ago · Published on 23 Feb 2020 3:44PM · 2 Comments

Bersatu chairman Dr Mahathir Mohamad waves to the media after a six-hour meeting with party leaders at the party headquarters in Petaling Jaya today. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Afif Abd Halim, February 23, 2020.

BERSATU leaders, including its chairman Dr Mahathir Mohamad, were tight lipped after meeting for more than six hours today amid speculation on the future of the Pakatan Harapan government.

They refused to speak to the media and a press conference scheduled at 3pm was called off.

The prime minister left the Yayasan Selangor building at about 2.50pm without entertaining the press, who had waited as early as 9am.

Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin left the party’s headquarters 15 minutes later without speaking to the media.

Youth Chief Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman waved to the press before leaving in his personal car.

However, supreme council member Mohd Rafiq Naizamohideen said the meeting was to discuss party matters but did not elaborate further.

The meeting was the first of a slew of meetings in Kuala Lumpur, purportedly being held to discuss a possible new government. 

Azmin Ali and his faction in PKR are currently meeting at the Sheraton Hotel in Petaling Jaya, while Umno and PAS are slated to meet at 3pm.

Gabungan Parti Sarawak MPs and its leader, Sarawak Chief Minister Abang Johari Abang Openg are meeting at the Ritz Hotel.

However, some of its party leaders sought to play down the meeting and said it was a routine meeting ahead of the upcoming parliamentary sitting, which begins on March 9.

The meetings are being held against the backdrop of a tense PH presidential council meeting last Friday where Dr Mahathir was pressured to set a date for the transition of power.

The meeting ended with the PH council deciding to allow Dr Mahathir to choose when to retire but the events there appear to have damaged ties among the four coalition partners. 

Apart from Bersatu, other members in the pact are PKR, DAP and Amanah.

Currently PKR has 50 MPs, DAP (42), Bersatu (26), and Amanah (11). Its associate Parti Warisan Sabah has nine MPs.

On the opposition side, Umno has 39, PAS (18) and GPS (18).

A simple majority of 112 out of the 222-seat parliament is needed to form a government.

All the parties have at some point in the last few months met with the prime minister to discuss the country’s future. – February 23, 2020.

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Comments

  • What a waste of our reporters times and their weekend. Next time our reporters shouldnt even bother with all these rubbish. They keep crying wolf, one day the press should just ignore them.

    Posted 4 years ago by Elyse Gim · Reply

  • Every day the news is about individuals and parties trying to stay in power or plotting to gain power by whatever means. No one care two hoots whether the country is going to the dogs as long power is in their hands. Power equates with wealth that is what they are fighting for. They care no less even all the wealth cannot bring them to the graves.

    Posted 4 years ago by Justin Leno · Reply