KUALA LUMPUR: Umno hopes it can form a unity government with any party within Pakatan Harapan as soon as possible.
Its president, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, said even though Umno had not set a particular time frame on the matter, the party hoped this could be achieved by mutual agreement.
“We are open (to establishing a unity government) before or after Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim becomes prime minister. Any discussions with any party will not have a set time frame or deadline as any decision must have the total agreement of both sides.
“At the same time, I need to respect the opinions of my colleagues in the Umno and Barisan Nasional leadership. In my opinion, however, the sooner the better,” he said in an exclusive interview with the New Straits Times Press in the run-up to the 2018 Umno annual general assembly in Menara Dato Onn.
Zahid had been asked whether BN’s boycott of the Port Dickson parliamentary seat by-election had to do with Umno’s efforts to forge ties with certain parties within PH, whether Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) or PKR.
Umno’s decision not to contest the by-election had created the perception among certain quarters that it intended to work with PKR to allow an easier path for Anwar to become the country’s eighth prime minister.
However, reports had also earlier suggested that Umno was also in discussions with PPBM to form a unity government.
Zahid said Umno was open to the possibility of holding discussions with any party.
However, he said the party would not “crawl” on its knees and beg for handouts.
“No, it does not mean that we will beg to meet them but we have to be dynamic in determining any areas where we are of the same mind, if there are any. There are methods (to form a unity government) that we have defined through various discussions, but the majority of members don’t want us to become beggars because ‘beggars can’t be choosers’,” he said.