PM to explain Umno-PAS meetings to component parties

PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi will explain to Barisan Nasional component parties the Umno-PAS meetings that were held after the March 8 general election.

He is expected to do so at a Barisan full council meeting to be held a few days after the management committee meeting on Aug 6, said Barisan Nasional secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor.

"We will get a date from the PM, maybe a few days after the Aug 6 meeting," he said, adding that Abdullah would explain to parties like MCA, MIC and Gerakan what the meetings were on.

He was speaking to reporters Saturday after opening the Bunga Matahari Umno branch meeting here.

When asked what Abdullah would explain in the meeting with component parties, Tengku Adnan said:

"To us it is good ... we don't have two-thirds (in parliament), certain laws need to be passed with two-thirds, so we need help.

"The only person that we can talk to at this moment is PAS," he said.

On the Umno-PAS talks, Tengku Adnan said it was still on and that it was at a different level, adding that it would not jeopardise the relationship between Barisan component parties.

Asked about PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's confidence to take over the Federal Government on Sept 16, Tengku Adnan said that Anwar was trying to confuse and divert attention of Internet readers from the sodomy case.

Stating that it was not possible for Anwar to take over the Federal Goverment on the said date, Tengku Adnan added that the former had also failed to mention who are the Members of Parliament (MPs) to defect.

"We have 140 MPs. By right we should look for another eight to make the two thirds, (but) we don't make any noise," he questioned.

Tengku Adnan also said that Umno was working closely with the Anti-Corruption Agency to weed out corruption from the party by referring suspected cases to the agency before the case is heard at its party disciplinary board level.

Only cases of money politics and finance would be discussed at the disciplinary board, he said, adding that smaller problems such as not having enough quorum at meetings would be discussed at the management committee level.