UMNO is not a dominant force in the ruling Perikatan Nasional pact to demand positions, said Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

The party president said certain prominent leaders in Umno are still under the outdated assumption.

“There are some so-called ‘eminent persons’ in the party who think that it should be given many important ministerial positions.

“As president, I also feel the same, but the reality is that we are not a dominant party leading the government. We have to accept that reality.

“There is a mentality that we are leading the government, like in the previous Barisan Nasional administration, but now, we are only one part of PN even though we, along with our Muafakat Nasional partner (PAS), contribute a significant number of seats.

“So, don’t blame the people who make the decisions or pressure leaders to pursue what we supposedly should get,” he said in an interview aired on Facebook in conjunction with Umno’s 74th anniversary.

Recent weeks have seen a number of Umno leaders appointed to top posts in government-linked companies and statutory agencies.

Last month, Sabah Umno demanded positions, including that of deputy minister, from Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, whose Bersatu leads PN.

Umno holds the biggest number of parliamentary seats for the government at 39, followed by Bersatu (32), Gabungan Parti Sarawak (19) and PAS (18).

Zahid said the BN lynchpin will support the PN administration for now, but is open to charting its own path in the future.

“Umno and the Supreme Council’s decision is to support PN through the party’s MPs.

“However, we have never closed the door on future negotiations on our position in PN.

“We also do not prevent any political party from becoming a PN component.” – May 11, 2020.