KUALA LUMPUR – Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi described the chants of “reject Umno” during the Pakatan Harapan (PH) Grand Ceramah in Paroi, Negeri Sembilan as reactions driven by grassroots supporters who may not fully understand Umno and Barisan Nasional’s (BN) position on the state’s political developments.
The Umno president said the top leadership within PH understood the actual circumstances and issues surrounding the matter, despite the emotional responses displayed by some supporters at the grassroots level.
“However, at the grassroots level, I understand their feelings because they may not have a clear picture of the position taken by Umno and BN as well as what I have stated.
“I observed that among the top leadership of PH component parties, they fully understood and I also paid close attention to every speech delivered during the gathering,” he said after launching the National Social Policy Action Plan 2026-2030 at the World Trade Centre (WTC) in Kuala Lumpur.
The issue emerged after Negeri Sembilan Umno publicly voiced its rejection of Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun’s leadership over matters involving tradition and the state’s governing institutions.
Despite the criticism, Negeri Sembilan Umno Liaison Committee secretary Datuk Mustapha Nagoor reportedly said the party would continue respecting the decision made by the Umno Political Bureau and the Umno-PH Leadership Consultative Council to maintain cooperation within the Unity Government in the state.
Zahid also clarified that the talk was organised by PH and targeted specifically at PH component parties and their members.
“They had informed me earlier. The target group was the parties and component members within PH.
“So it is not a matter of whether I was invited or not, that was their crowd,” he said.