Zahid knocks Annuar as ‘a pest’, dares him to quit

FMT:

Zahid knocks Annuar as ‘a pest’, dares him to quit

Annuar Musa was described by Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi as ‘a pest’. (Bernama pic)

KUALA LUMPUR: Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has taken aim at federal territories minister Annuar Musa, describing him as a pest and a backstabber, and challenging him to resign his post.

Zahid did not name Annuar. He merely spoke of “a minister who’s not on stage but who has stabbed Umno in the back” and challenged him to resign from the Cabinet.

“If he’s a man, he should resign as minister,” said Zahid, drawing cheers and applause from the crowd. “This is a pest. If it wasn’t for Umno, he wouldn’t be in such a position.”

However, Zahid later said he was confident that Umno ministers in the Cabinet remained loyal to the party.

Although Annuar was not named, there was little doubt about who Zahid meant. Annuar has come under fire from his party colleagues for being too PPBM-friendly.

Umno Supreme Council member Mohd Puad Zarkashi has previously accused Annuar, who is a former Barisan Nasional secretary-general, of being PPBM’s weapon within Umno.

Ketereh Umno delegate Annuar Musa, who is federal territories minister, arriving at the Umno general assembly today. (Facebook pic)

Puad said Annuar had been openly hitting out at Umno and Zahid to make the party look divided and claimed that Annuar was executing the “enemy’s game plan”.

Zahid also gave a reminder to higher education minister and Wanita Umno chief Noraini Ahmad, who was also on stage, that it was only because she was a member of the party that she could be appointed as minister.

Umno and its Barisan Nasional partners provide “confidence and supply motion” support in the Dewan Rakyat for the Muhyiddin Yassin government, but is not a member of the Perikatan Nasional coalition led by Muhyiddin’s PPBM party.

Zahid has stated that Umno MPs would support the government only until Parliament is dissolved and a general election called.

When asked at a press conference later why he had not fired the minister mentioned in his speech for “backstabbing” the party, Zahid said this was not up to the president but Umno’s disciplinary board.

“The disciplinary board will study the matter and bring it to the Supreme Council,” he said, adding that there was no motion for the minister to be sacked from the party.