Puad denies Umno-PN backdoor talks
PETALING JAYA : Umno Supreme Council member Puad Zarkashi has rubbished claims that party representatives have been meeting with Perikatan Nasional leaders for talks on forming a new government.
He claimed that it was PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man who initiated contact with Umno intermediaries and allegedly offered the party the prime minister's post if it agreed to a plan for a backdoor government.
'But that idea was never brought to or discussed in the Supreme Council. Even if it had been, I would have been the first to speak up and strongly oppose it,' he was quoted as saying by Sinar Harian.
His remarks were in response to Tuan Ibrahim's statement that Umno leaders had held discreet meetings with PN leaders to explore 'cross-party movement' led by PN chairman Muhyiddin Yassin.
Speaking to the media at the Selangor PAS Youth muktamar yesterday, Tuan Ibrahim also reportedly invited dissatisfied Umno members to join PN, likening it to 'leaving a sinking ship'.
Puad dismissed the overture and said Umno would not repeat what he described as a mistake of the past.
'Tuan Ibrahim knows full well that Umno will not fall into the same trap again. All of this is just an attempt to lure us in,' he said.
'The idea of Umno working with PAS, let alone Bersatu, is nothing but a dream.'
The last time Umno, Bersatu and PAS cooperated was when they formed the government in March 2020 following the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan administration.
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