TAIPING: A top Umno leader has rejected the suggestion by Tan Sri Noh Omar for the party to work with Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) and revive the Muafakat Nasional (MN) charter.
The party's secretary-general, Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki, did not hold back when he questioned Noh's capacity to make such a suggestion, given that the latter was sacked from Umno after the 15th General Election (GE15)
"Is Tan Sri Noh Omar still an Umno member?," asked Asyraf.
He said this to reporters after he launched the Taiping Umno division's delegates' meeting here today.
A Malay daily reported yesterday that Noh, who was the former Selangor Umno liaison committee chairman, had said that Umno cannot remain relevant on its own.
The former Tanjung Karang member of Parliament suggested that the MN charter be revived so that Umno can continue to champion the fate of the race and the nation.
For the record, Noh was sacked from Umno after he was accused of sabotaging the party during GE15.
On other matters, Asyraf, who is also the head of the unity government secretariat, dismissed claims that the defeat of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate in the Sungai Bakap by-election was the result of incompatibility between the grassroots of Barisan Nasional (BN) and PH.
He believed that members of both parties are still in the process of building mutual understanding, recognizsing that political stability is more important to ensure the welfare of the people.
"In the context of this unity government, it is the same... for parties that were once political foes, but when they are destined to be together, it will take time.
"It took us (Umno) some 13 months to hold programmes and so on to build understanding with Pas at the grassroots level prior to the end of MN," he said.