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KUALA LUMPUR, April 10 — Datuk Nurulhidayah Ahmad Zahid said she has resigned from the board of SME Corporation Malaysia (SME Corp), and made a thinly disguised attack on other Umno political appointees.
The daughter of embattled Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi used her Instagram to post a photo of her resignation letter as the board member of SME Corp, which was to Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister, Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.
“A post which I was appointed to, I give up voluntarily. A post for which one was elected in a valid election must be defended!
“My question is, who has got no telor now?” Nurulhidayah said, using the Malay euphemism for courage.
“Dear Allah, if it is not my place in SME Corp to help many people, give me the way and resources for me to help those who are struggling and who are in need,” she further wrote.
Umno formally decided to sever ties with Perikatan Nasional (PN) at its 75th annual general assembly last month.
At the assembly, Ahmad Zahid labelled those who serve in the PN government as parasites and challenged them to quit their posts.
Ahmad Zahid said that his party’s official decision to end its political cooperation with Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu)- that is leading PN, for the 15th general election (GE15) meant the party is no longer divided on the matter.
Speaking to the press after the conclusion of the party’s annual general assembly, Zahid said the motion introduced to the delegation and the party leadership to sever ties with Bersatu was unanimously accepted.
Following the decision, Umno advisory board chairman Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah urged his party’s leaders serving the PN administration to quit their government positions immediately.
The Umno veteran said the ministers, deputy ministers and heads of government-linked companies should resign since their party has made it clear it will not work with the PN coalition under Bersatu in the next general election.
However, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin later said he managed to convince Umno ministers to remain in his Cabinet for the benefit of the country, following a meeting with them.
Muhyiddin met the Umno ministers a day after their party decided to end the political cooperation with his Bersatu and eventually withdraw support for his PN administration.
Since then, Zahid has come under attack after an audio clip purportedly of him discussing plans with PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim emerged online.
Both men have denied the authenticity of the clip but this has not stopped Umno leaders saying it was no longer tenable for Zahid to remain as the president of the party.