THE Bersatu supreme council will meet today to decide on Umno’s decision not to work with the party in the next election, said Hamzah Zainudin. 

“The meeting will discuss Umno’s decision to stop cooperating with Bersatu in GE15 but to support the Perikatan Nasional government until Parliament is dissolved,” said the Bersatu secretary-general in a statement today.

He said that Umno’s decisions will also be discussed at the PN supreme council meeting that includes PAS, Star, SAPP and Gerakan. 

Hamzah, however, did not say when the PN meeting will be held. 

A letter allegedly sent by Umno president Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to Prime Minister and Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin had been making its rounds among political circles. 

The letter, dated February 26, said the Umno Supreme Council decided during its meeting in Janda Baik on February 19 to reject any political cooperation with Bersatu in GE15. 

“Umno, however, has decided it will remain in the PN government until Parliament is dissolved,” said the letter signed by Zahid. 

Yesterday, former Umno secretary-general Annuar Musa said Umno has made a decision on the party’s position on working with Bersatu and wanted Zahid to make it public. 

He claimed the Umno president had conveyed the decision made at its Supreme Council meeting on February 19 in a letter to Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin on February 26.

The Federal Territories minister said the letter had declared that Umno would not cooperate with Bersatu in the next general election and it will only work with the PN government until Parliament is dissolved.

Annuar asked why party members have not been informed on the matter, if the letter had been sent to Bersatu to convey the decision.

“As members we have the right to know if the news is true. If it’s true why have members not been told? 

“Members have to know if the decision was made by the council. Members have to know its rationale as we don’t know when the next general election will be held,” he said in a Facebook post. 

Annuar said he found it baffling the council had made the decision not to work with Bersatu, having earlier said it will be decided by the party’s delegates at the annual general assembly. 

“Why make the decision before the assembly?” he asked.

The party’s Supreme Council had on January 6 said its annual general assembly will decide on whether to continue working with Bersatu. 

The assembly, slated for the end of January, is now set for March 27 and 28, after being cancelled twice as a result of movement-order restrictions. – March 4, 2021.