THE outcome of the Umno polls would not have any effect on the federal government as party leaders have agreed to keep the administration going for five years, Rafizi Ramli said.

The PKR deputy president said before the formation of the unity government, party leaders had given their commitment that any change of leadership carries no effect on the current government.

“Before we formed the government, we negotiated and on principle, any change of leadership should not have any effect on the federal government because the commitment comes from each political party.

“Each party leader has already received the final conclusion at the respective party level, using their own process. Umno underwent that process after they joined the unity government and we in Pakatan Harapan (PH) had followed our own process.

“So if there is a change in Umno leadership, they will have to go through the same process again if they want to have a different position from where they are now.

“I do hope whatever decision is reached in the Umno polls, it won’t have any effect on the government and on the spirit when we signed the agreement (unity government).

“Each party has agreed 100% on one thing: we need to have a stable government. We cannot have a change of government every two years. If you don’t like it, change it after five years,” Rafizi told reporters after the PKR convention in Shah Alam.

PH communications director Fahmi Fadzil had previously said that the cooperation agreement signed by unity government leaders is to prevent another Sheraton Move.

The country’s five major coalitions – PH, Barisan Nasional (BN), Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) and Parti Warisan (Warisan) – signed the agreement to ensure political stability and drive the country’s economic growth.

The Sheraton Move in February 2020 brought down the PH government.

In the general election, PH won 76 seats while its coalition member Sarawak DAP collected five and Muda one, for a total of 82.

Perikatan Nasional (PN) and PAS won 51 and 22 seats, respectively, for a combined total of 73. BN won 30 seats.

The palace had ordered PH and PN to form a unity government but PN chairman Muhyiddin Yassin rejected the suggestion while PH, led by Anwar Ibrahim, managed to secure support from BN, GRS and GPS. – January 14, 2023.