Friday August 29, 2008

Barisan leaders’ talk of pullout from coalition worries Muhyiddin

SINGAPORE: Some Barisan Nasional component party leaders' comments about the possibility of their parties leaving Barisan has Umno vice-president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin concerned.

“The is a new trend we have not seen in the past and this time around it is being done openly. I am concerned about that,” Muhyiddin told reporters, referring to remarks made by MCA and Gerakan leaders recently.

“Are these remarks brought up because of sheer disappointment? They have to explain,” he said, adding that any random survey would show that there was a mindset shift among the rakyat and not merely in Permatang Pauh.

Muhyiddin said Barisan should not underestimate the changes that are taking place.

“We can have a dialogue with the component parties but what else can we do? That is what we should be asking ourselves.

“The format in Umno and BN is not right and change should not just be in the form but also in the content,” Muhyiddin said.

“Umno also cannot stand alone. There are weaknesses within Umno but weaknesses also exist within the component parties,” he added.

Meanwhile, in Kuala Lumpur, Jerlun MP Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir said the outcome of the Permatang Pauh by-election was a wake-up call for Barisan, especially Umno, that much had to be done to regain the public's support.

Mukhriz said one of the major factors that impacted the by-election was the announcement by the country’s top two leaders that there would be a power transfer only in 2010.

“This means business as usual for another two years. For the rakyat, they feel it is too much to swallow,” he said.

“On the Umno side and Barisan, we also feel very exasperated because it is as if we have not started moving towards re-engineering and re-inventing Umno and Barisan.”