Meeting in Dubai ‘a waste of time’.
Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has dismissed the alleged “Dubai Move” aimed at destabilizing the Unity Government, stating that it failed to achieve its goal.
The Deputy Prime Minister confirmed the purported meeting in Dubai.
“Yes, based on the initial intelligence we received on their flights to reach the destination.
“Following subsequent information, we believe that the meeting was a waste of time,” said Zahid at a press conference in Putrajaya on Tuesday (Jan 2).
When asked who had wasted their time attending the meeting, Zahid merely said: “Those attending it”.
On Saturday (Dec 30), Community Communications Department deputy director-general Datuk Ismail Yusop claimed that the plot to topple Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s Madani government was organised by Perikatan Nasional (PN) leaders and government backbenchers who are vacationing in the United Arab Emirates.
According to Ismail, a meeting occurred during the visit to assign specific tasks to “agents” responsible for identifying MPs who may want to switch their support to the opposition.
Several Umno leaders have since rubbished the alleged move.
Earlier, Zahid, who is also the Umno president, said there is currently an anti-hopping law against elected MPs switching allegiance in an attempt to change government.
He said that a manoeuvre such as the alleged Dubai Move could only be feasible if the entire party decides en bloc to switch allegiance to form a government.
“There cannot be any such moves any longer by just relying on statutory declarations,” he added.
He urged those interested in forming a new government to await the next general election.
PN has denied the existence of the so-called Dubai Move plot.