Datuk Shamsul Anuar Nasarah arrives for the Umno supreme council meeting at Menara Onn in Kuala Lumpur January 6, 2021. — Picture by Shafwan Zaidon
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 5 ― Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has told Umno members to resign from their Cabinet posts if they comply with the party’s ultimatum to retract its support for the Perikatan Nasional government.
He said those MPs should follow Lenggong MP Datuk Seri Shamsul Anuar Nasarah’s example and recuse themselves from the Cabinet immediately.
“It’s up to them. If they adhere to the party’s stance then please resign like Shamsul,” Zahid was quoted saying in Utusan Malaysia.
Umno and Zahid have previously announced their withdrawal of support for Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s government.
Shamsul was the first to resign as Energy and Natural Resources minister yesterday following Umno’s announcement.
Other ministerial positions are held by Federal Territories Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba, Minister of Foreign Affairs Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, Minister of Higher Education Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad, Minister of Science Technology and Innovation Khairy Jamaluddin, Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican, and Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
The deputies include Datuk Mastura Tan Sri Mohd Yazid (prime minister’s department in charge of special functions), Deputy Finance Minister Mohd Shahar Abdullah, Deputy Home Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ismail Mohamed Said, Deputy Environment and Water Minister Datuk Dr Ahmad Masrizal Muhammad, deputy minister of agriculture and food industries Datuk Seri Ahmad Hamzah, Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Abd Mutallib and Deputy Communications Minister Datuk Zahidi Zainul Abidin.
Yesterday, Zahid said additional statutory declarations have been presented to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to solidify his party’s rejection of the Muhyiddin administration.
Ahmad Zahid also disputed Muhyiddin’s insistence that the latter still possessed majority support in Parliament.
He then challenged Muhyiddin to convene a special parliamentary sitting to table a confidence vote immediately instead of September as the latter proposed.