UMNO AND BN WILL REMAIN A PART OF UNITY GOVT FOR GE16 - AHMAD ZAHID

SEREMBAN, Dec 22 (Bernama) -- Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has assured that UMNO and Barisan Nasional (BN), as component parties, will be fully committed to the Unity Government until the election.

The Unity Government has the opportunity to retain victory in the 16th General Election (GE16) if the aspects of loyalty to the party and efforts to unite the people continue to be given priority.

"I like the response from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on Friday, when a reporter asked him whether the Unity Government could survive if the election was held in the near future and he said he was confident that he could survive.

"In that situation, I would like to state that the cooperation between UMNO and BN with the Unity Government (will continue) until GE16," he said after the Negeri Sembilan BN Convention 2024 here today, which was also attended by BN deputy chairman Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.

He said this in response to a statement by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim yesterday who expressed confidence that the Unity Government has the advantage of winning if the general election is held in the near future.

At the same time, Ahmad Zahid also stressed that obedience and loyalty are priorities in the party leadership.

In addition, he also praised the BN ministers for their excellent performance, including Foreign Minister Mohamad who hoisted the name of the country, at the international level.

In his speech earlier, Ahmad Zahid also urged BN leaders to strengthen the party's internal structure, reach out to the people and understand the aspirations of the younger generation, empower technology, social media and mobilise the machinery comprehensively to face the next election.

"The problem that arose in GE14 and GE15 was that players who should have team spirit, instead kicked the ball into their own goal, and eventually failed.

"The fact is that we must play our respective positions as players in the football team so that the victory will favour us, the BN team should not kick the ball into their own goal," he said.

--BERNAMA