Zaid said it was ridiculous for Umno ministers to remain in the government when the party’s position on certain matters was directly opposed to that of the PN administration.
He told FMT the ministers cannot be in Umno while agreeing with the suspension of Parliament and the new emergency ordinance that allows Putrajaya to pass a supplementary budget and use consolidated funds without going through the legislature.
Umno leaders have repeatedly called for Parliament to be allowed to convene during the emergency, while former prime minister Najib Razak has criticised the new ordinance.
“The ministers say that they don’t want to abandon ship because they want to serve the people. Then don’t be with Umno, join PPBM instead,” Zaid said.
“The party’s position is clear – either you quit or you join the prime minister. This is why our politics is so convoluted because political parties are sending mixed signals.”
Stating he agreed with the views of outspoken MP Nazri Aziz, Zaid urged party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to instruct Umno ministers to quit the Cabinet immediately.
Yesterday, Nazri slammed Zahid for lacking leadership and making the party look like a “paper tiger” after the “roars” at Umno’s annual general assembly over the weekend.
“It is obvious they should resign but the president lacks the leadership to tell them to do so. Is he worried that if he asks them, they won’t listen to him?”
There have been calls for Umno ministers to quit the Cabinet following the party’s assembly, although it has yet to decide on when to withdraw support for the PN government.
Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin yesterday announced that all Umno ministers would remain in the Cabinet after he advised them to do so in the interest of the people and country.
Youth and sports minister Reezal Merican Naina Merican defended their decision, claiming that resigning from the Cabinet would tarnish Umno’s name and image.
Health minister Dr Adham Baba also said they would not be resigning anytime soon as they carried the heavy responsibility of helping the PN government handle the Covid-19 pandemic and the country’s economy.