KUALA LUMPUR: Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi blames former leader Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad for the hatred the party and its members held towards DAP.
He said it was Mahathir, during his days in the party, who gave a false impression about DAP.
"But in the end, he is the one who accepted them and involved them in the government.
"Even Pas and PPBM (Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia) also accepted them in the past.
"Only we, Umno and BN have not," he said in an interview streamed live on NRChannel TV Youtube channel today.
He acknowledged that their political cooperation has raised eyebrows and encountered resistance from some individuals within the party.
However, he assured that he will not sacrifice political philosophy due to the political cooperation.
Zahid said the four main principles the party holds, that of Islam as the religion of the country, Bumiputera privileges, Bahasa Melayu as the national language, and the powers of the Malay Rulers, would not change.
He also revealed that there was some resistance from the Umno Supreme Council.
"I cannot give names here (on who resisted), but I can say only two of them did not agree to it.
"Out of all the ones there, only two did not agree," he added.