UMNO made the decision to cut ties with Bersatu after Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin pressed the party to decide once and for all whether it would cooperate with Perikatan Nasional, said Ahmad Maslan.

The Umno secretary-general said Muhyiddin, who is the Bersatu president, had wanted Umno to decide quickly so that PN parties could start negotiating among themselves over seats in the next general election.

“The prime minister asked us to make a clear stand on our support for Bersatu before discussions on seat allocations for GE15 could take place,” Ahmad said in a statement today.

He said Muhyiddin made the request in a February 15 meeting between Umno, Bersatu and PAS. Five representatives of each party were present at the meeting.

Ahmad said the Umno Supreme Council met four days later on February 19 in Janda Baik to decide what to do.

“The decision of the Supreme Council was unanimous. We agreed that we will not work with Bersatu in GE15 and that we will continue working with them only until parliament is dissolved,” he said.

The decision was made after careful consideration, taking into account the opinions of the grassroots and the benefits of being in the government during the Covid-19 pandemic, he added.

Umno president Zahid Hamidi conveyed Umno’s decision in a letter to Muhyiddin on February 26.

Bersatu secretary-general Hamzah Zainudin said the party leadership will meet later today to discuss the latest development.

He said Umno’s decision will also be discussed at a PN supreme council meeting attended by PAS, STAR, SAPP and Gerakan.

Umno secretary-general Annuar Musa said the move to sever ties was “premature” anything could happen between now and the elections. – March 4, 2021.