JEMPOL: Barisan Nasional put its history with Pakatan Harapan aside for the sake of the country, Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin told voters in Jeram Padang, Negri Sembilan here.
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The Sabah Umno chief admitted it was initially awkward to share the stage with Pakatan component party leaders from DAP and PKR.
“I’ve been campaigning in Selangor. Although it was my first time sharing the stage with DAP and PKR, we put our history for the past 20 to 30 years behind us.
“We did this for the sake of the country and our fellow Malaysians,” the Kinabatangan MP said during a ceramah here on Monday (August 7).
Bung Moktar also said Umno’s traitors had caused the party’s downfall.
“How could Barisan, a coalition that dominated the political landscape and led the country for over 50 years, lose badly in two consecutive general elections?
“Why did we lose? There were traitors within Umno. When traitors are there, the party will be brought down,” he said.
“As a leader myself, I have been consistent in saying we cannot be with Bersatu or Perikatan Nasional as from the start, they had intentions to destroy Umno and Barisan.
“How can we (Barisan) be together with such a party?” he said, referring to Barisan joining hands with Pakatan to form the unity government after the results of the 15th General Election saw no coalition having enough seats to form the federal government.
Meanwhile, Jempol MP Datuk Shamsulkahar Md Deli called for voters here to continue throwing their support behind Barisan, as it has since the Jeram Padang seat was first contested.
“Barisan’s first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth candidates here were given the people’s mandate.
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“Throw your support behind our candidate Datuk Mohd Zaidy Abdul Kadir,” he said during the same ceramah session.
Separately, PKR man Musliadi Sabtu also wowed Barisan and Umno supporters here by singing Umno’s party song.
“It’s not easy to be friends. What more with Barisan and Umno. Since when did I not fight Umno?
“But today, we are friends,” he said before singing the Umno party song.
Musliaidi, who is the Jeram Padang constituency coordinator, also called for the machinery of both coalitions to ensure Barisan’s Mohd Zaidy’s victory.
“We are now together for the sake of unity,” he added.
Musliadi previously contested the Jeram Padang seat for Pakatan at previous Negri Sembilan state elections.
Barisan’s Mohd Zaidy will be taking on Perikatan’s Suresh Sreenivasan in a straight fight for the Jeram Padang seat in the Aug 12 state election.
– The Star