Nazri claims 25 BN MPs have lost confidence in Zahid
Padang Rengas MP Nazri Abdul Aziz claims that a majority of BN's 42 lawmakers have lost confidence in coalition chairperson Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Nazri told Malaysiakini that 25 declarations were signed giving Sembrong MP Hishammuddin Hussein the mandate to speak on behalf of BN to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
"When I found out the king wanted to meet party leaders, I didn't trust Zahid anymore.
"In October, Zahid gave misleading information to the Agong that BN MPs supported (PKR president) Anwar Ibrahim as prime minister.
"I trust Hishammuddin to tell the truth that we don't support Anwar or DAP," Nazri said.
He declined to disclose how many cabinet members signed the declaration.
He also said the declaration was not meant to support Hishammuddin as prime minister.
In October last year, Zahid allegedly signed a letter to the king pledging support for Anwar.
Zahid's office claimed the letter was fake, but former Umno secretary-general Annuar Musa said otherwise.
The Umno supreme council and general assembly had affirmed the party's stance not to support Anwar as prime minister.
However, speculation is rife that Anwar had submitted to the king a list of 115 MPs who allegedly support his claim to Putrajaya during his meeting with the monarch on June 9.
Sinar Harian quoted an Umno supreme council source as claiming that some of the names on the purported Anwar list were also on the list of MPs backing Hishammuddin as their spokesperson.
Asked why he picked Hishammuddin to be their representative, Nazri said it was because they needed a leader whom they felt could have the Agong's ear.
Hishammuddin's wife Tengku Marsilla Tengku Abdullah is the Agong's cousin.
The foreign minister is speculated to be pro-Bersatu, while Nazri has been a vocal critic of the party.
Asked how two opposites could unite against Zahid, Nazri said that this was a party matter.
"For me, it is a party matter. The Umno general assembly has decided, no Anwar no DAP," he said.
Nazri added that his stance on Bersatu has not changed, but stressed that the general assembly also decided that ties with Bersatu would only end during the 15th general election (GE15).
"I'm a party man, the AGM decided to end ties in GE15, so not now lah," he said.
Previously in 2018, Nazri as then BN secretary-general had tried to lobby support for Anwar - in an effort to save Umno from being dissolved.
"At the time, I felt I needed to be close to the next PM, and then coax him not to dissolve Umno.
"Because (then prime minister) Dr Mahathir Mohamad was set on dissolving us," he said.
However, Nazri said support for Anwar was no longer necessary once Umno joined the government.
"I'm now comfortable that Umno will never be dissolved," he added.
'Not leader of party'
Meanwhile, former minister Zaid Ibrahim questioned Nazri's position, saying the latter was confused.
"BN MPs can individually vote for Hisham as PM but to speak on behalf of BN it has to be done by leaders of Umno, MCA and MIC if they are still part of BN.
"There exists in our parliamentary rules the position of party leader and the party whip.
"The monarch usually does not get involved with those who wish to break ranks with the party leader or party whip. That's why the monarch normally speaks to PM (as leader of the House ) and or to the opposition leader," said Zaid who preceded Nazri as de facto law minister.
"Hisham is not leader of the party. Period. The fact that he might have majority support in the House is relevant only when he becomes a PM candidate," Zaid told Malaysiakini.
