UMNO suffered two major blows last week when 11 of its federal lawmakers quit en masse, citing loss of confidence in the party leadership, particularly party president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Umno began the 14thparliamentary term as the largest single party with 54 members of parliament. Now, down to 37 seats in the Dewan Rakyat, Umno could be facing its biggest loss yet before year-end, with the names of at least 10 more MPs bandied about as being part of the third wave of departures.
Last night, Arau MP Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim painted a grim picture for the 72-year-old party with a one-liner: “It’s too little too late. It is pointless now even if the president steps down. The third wave is imminent.”
ADIB POVERA looks at the political direction of Umno’s parliamentarians.