UMNO president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has revealed that “someone” had thwarted an attempt to have his party declared illegal, Berita Harian reported.

Zahid, who is also the chairman of Barisan Nasional (BN), did not name the person but said “someone” who had just been appointed home minister had found a letter on his table asking him to de-register Umno.

The home minister is Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.

Zahid said Umno has thanked the person who did not accede to Bersatu’s request to declare Umno illegal.

Zahid made the revelation in response to a statement from Pahang Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Saifuddin Abdullah, who said Bersatu had succeeded in replacing Umno as the party which represented following the coalition’s sweep of 70 of the 112 Malay-majority seats in the general election.

“I was informed from the beginning that Bersatu was formed to destroy Umno. But the results of the GE showed is that the aim was way off target,” Zahid said in Petaling Jaya last night,.

Zahid said he hoped his party’s grassroots supporters will learn from his disclosures.

“We know their claim is far from the truth.”

Bersatu is a splinter party of Umno co-founded by its former prime ministers Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Muhyiddin Yassin. The latter was sacked from Umno for questioning then party president Najib Razak’s role in the1MDB affair. – December 12, 2022.