THE top leadership of Muafakat Nasional (MN) including Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin will meet on Monday to thrash out differences between the three Malay parties in an attempt to solve the current political impasse, said sources.

It will be the first official meeting of the pact after the Umno political bureau threatened to pull out of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government if a certain list of demands was not fulfilled.

Among the demands include naming an Umno lawmaker as the deputy prime minister and reshuffling the cabinet to allow the party to have positions that are more grassroots friendly.

“There will be a meeting to sort out the differences between the three parties,” a source told The Malaysian Insight.

The meeting will also include Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, MN secretariat Annuar Musa from Umno and Takiyuddin Hassan from PAS.

Hadi, who is Marang lawmaker, posted a tweet on Friday, urging politicians to cease fire amid the current Covid-19 pandemic.

“Stop the political and polemic crises that are detrimental to the people. Going down to the fields of the world, prove that Islam can be a guide and saviour to all human beings,” he tweeted.

Annuar, who is federal territories minister, tweeted yesterday he was delighted negotiations between Umno and Bersatu are underway and hope matters will be resolved on Monday.

“I am happy to know Umno and Bersatu representatives have already started negotiations. Also with PAS. This Monday, we will meet,” he said.

Annuar, and a car from Istana Negara, were spotted at Muhyiddin’s house on Thursday evening but the Ketereh MP was very coy on the subject of discussion when asked later.

This comes a day after Umno’s political bureau made the demands, which allegedly even asked for Annuar to be removed from Muhyiddin’s cabinet.

Last Tuesday, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim met the Yang di-Pertuan Agong at Istana Negara to present a list of MPs who allegedly support him to be prime minister.

Shortly after the meeting, Istana Negara said in a statement that Anwar only submitted the number of MPs supporting him but did not submit their names.

The king also advised Anwar to abide by and respect the legal processes as enshrined in the federal constitution, the statement said.

In a separate statement from Istana Negara yesterday, the king reminded politicians to stop playing politics as the country struggles with the Covid-19 pandemic.

Anwar was also yesterday questioned over six cases at the federal police headquarters in Bukit Aman. One involved a sodomy allegation and the other five revolved around the list of MPs who alleged backed him to be prime minister.

Anwar said he refused to divulge the names of the MPs to the police as it was a matter between him and the Agong.

Meanwhile, reports also indicate that Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah has emerged as a new player to wrest federal power from PN.

Sources in Umno had said Tengku Razaleigh, better known as Ku Li, has been meeting his own party leaders, as well as those from Parti Warisan Sabah, Amanah and DAP to gain support for the plan.

He has also been seeking support from former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad. – October 17, 2020.