PONTIAN - UMNO was not involved in any actions that led to the withdrawal of support from two members of parliament (MP) for Perikatan Nasional (PN) and their subsequent endorsement of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Its supreme council member, Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan, said there was no need to withdraw support from the opposition because the Unity government currently has 148 Members of Parliament.
The Deputy Finance Minister I also added that no Umno leaders were involved in persuading PN MPs, even though Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) was once responsible for 16 Umno MPs withdrawing support after the 14th General Election (GE14).
"The Prime Minister did not instruct anyone. I am under him; I am his deputy (Finance Ministry). I have never been asked to do such things because the government is now strong and stable.
"For example, in the 2024 Budget, no opposition arose to split the vote because they (the opposition) knew that with such a large presence on the government side, it was impossible for them to win any votes in Parliament," he said.
He said this at a press conference after officiating the Takaful Masuk Kampung Programme at the Kampung Puteri Menangis Homestay Hall in Ayer Baloi today.
Also present were Pulai Sebatang State Assemblywoman Hasrunizah Hassan and the Malaysian Takaful Association Chief Executive Officer, Mohd Radzuan Mohamed.
Yesterday, PN secretary-general Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin was reported to have said that PN was gathering evidence regarding claims of threats received by opposition MPs to support the Unity Government.
Ahmad, who is also the Johor Umno deputy chairman, added that all MPs, regardless of their party affiliation, are bound by anti-hopping laws.
"In the past, defections occurred when the government was unstable, but now there is an anti-hopping act in place, and Members of Parliament cannot leave their parties.
"They can declare their support, but if they leave their party, a by-election will be held in their constituency based on the anti-hopping act.
"What happened to Kuala Kangsar (Datuk Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid) and Labuan, Datuk Suhaili Abdul Rahman? They did not leave Bersatu, but they declared their support for the Prime Minister," he said.
Last Monday, Suhaili, in a statement, expressed his support for the Prime Minister, taking into account all the issues facing the people of Labuan, who are grappling with rising living costs and continuous disruptions to water and electricity supply.
He is the second PN Member of Parliament to do so after Iskandar Dzulkarnain did the same on Oct 12.