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By Mihar Dias (C) Copyright December 2022
The UMNO president reportedly blames his predecessor Dr Mahathir for the hatred the party and its members hold against DAP.
Doesn't this sound like a justification for his move to team up with DAP? Or is this a campaign to win support in forthcoming party election?
He seems to forget that he, too, was vehemently against DAP in the run up to GE15.
Anyway in a recent news, Zahid said it was Mahathir who gave a false impression about DAP during his days in the party. Then (as if to justify his own move) he said, "But in the end, he (Dr.M) is the one who accepted them and involved them in the government. Even PAS and PPBM (Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia) also accepted them in the past. Only we, Umno and BN have not."
While acknowledging that UMNO's cooperation with PH-DAP raised eyebrows and encountered resistance from within the party he said he is not willing to sacrifice political philosophy as a result of this recent political cooperation. Zahid was reported as saying principles of Islam as the religion of the country, Bumiputera privileges, Bahasa Melayu as the national language, and the powers of the Malay Rulers, would not change because of this cooperation.
The above appears as a rationale to justify the political move that he made by teaming up with PH-DAP - more so with the latter. For years, UMNO's nemesis has been DAP. Even in weeks during the run up to GE15, the mantra in UMNO was no DAP.
But as if to warn recalcitrants who are against his recent move, he revealed that he knew of the resistance from within the Supreme Council by saying, "I cannot give names here (on who resisted), but I can say only two of them did not agree to it." This was another piece of information that could sway party members to join PH-DAP coalition, that only two in the Supreme Council are against the move while the majority are with him.
In sum, the above seems to answer our questions. Zahid looks like he is really blaming Mahathir as the one who sowed the seeds of hatred against DAP as a means to justify his move to join a coalition dominated by its long time nemesis. By saying that he'll not compromise the party principles for being part of the government, and may even win him endearment from the grassroots.
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