KUALA LUMPUR: Deputy Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Zahidi Zainul Abidin today claimed that 40 Barisan Nasional (BN) members of parliament have signed a statutory declaration (SD) to pledge support for the government and leadership of Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
As for the other two BN lawmakers, Zahidi claimed that Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah "could not be persuaded" to support the Perikatan Nasional (PN) administration.
He also hinted that other lawmaker is Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
"We are still negotiating. Ku Li (Tengku Razaleigh) is out and we still have one more (MP) to go. It would be great if the Umno president (Zahid) could support the government of the day.
"Our deputy prime minister (Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri) is also from Umno and that is why we should be in (the same) pact," he told reporters during a press conference at his office in Putrajaya today.
Zahidi's claim came after Padang Rengas MP Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz and Arau MP Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim denied reports claiming that 40 BN lawmakers have signed an SD during a meeting held late Sunday night at Wisma Perwira, here.
Zahidi, who is also an Umno supreme council member, said he would try to convince Zahid to support the government during today's Emergency Supreme Council meeting at 4pm.
On July 29, Zahid called on all Umno MPs to retract support for Muhyiddin as prime minister after the government was reprimanded by the Istana Negara over the revocation of the Emergency Ordinances.
At present, BN has 37 Umno MPs, two from MCA, one from MIC and another from Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS).
Tengku Razaleigh had recently moved to the independent bloc in the Dewan Rakyat.
On the next general election, Zahidi said he is against BN contesting as the opposition, saying that backbencher parties would always have the advantage.
"If Barisan wants to face the elections as the opposition, this is a new experience and we are afraid to lose.
"It's better to face the elections as the government rather than the opposition," Zahidi said.