Zahid says BN considering application from four more parties to join

Malay Mail
Malay Mail

KOTA KINABALU, July 2 - Barisan Nasional (BN) us considering the entry of four more parties into its fold, its chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said today.

Declining to elaborate on the identity of the parties, he said that at least one of them is from Sabah.

"I want to say that four parties have applied to join BN in Malaysia. I won’t say whether they’re from Sabah or other states, but suffice to say; that it will be a refreshed entity with a leadership reorganisation and their application will take into account the Sabahan political landscape,” he said.

When pressed, he later revealed that one of the parties were from Sabah, and added that they are still under consideration by the BN Supreme Council.

Zahid was speaking to reporters after the State BN convention here.

He earlier said that the party was also looking to make Sabah BN its own entity that will have leeway for its own chairman while not being completely autonomous.

"The BN supreme council decided in November 2020 that the state BN will known as Sabah BN, and we are working on a few clauses in the Malaysian BN constitution to allow Sabah BN to be established as its own entity along with a few other parties that want to be in the coalition, aside from Umno and PBRS,” he said.

The Umno president said that this was following an amendment to Umno’s constitution that gave autonomy to Sabah Umno.

"Although this does not mean that BN sabah has the same level of autonomy that was given to Sabah Umno, it will give Sabah BN prerogative to have its own chairman and leadership,” he said, adding that this was to adapt to the changing needs of Sabah’s political landscape.

"Deputy president Datuk Mohamad Hasan will continue to monitor the state’s dynamic political landscape, as we arranged for several leaders to go down to six zones to help boost election machinery.