Umno chief Zahid defends working with long-time political foe PH

Umno president Zahid Hamidi has defended his decision to cooperate with the party's long-time political enemy, the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition, saying the move will not sideline Umno's principles of championing the rights of Malays and Islam in Malaysia.

He said in a Facebook post on Tuesday that the cooperation was also based on a decree by the Malaysian King for the formation of a unity government.

Zahid's decision to support PH, instead of the rival Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition, helped PH leader Anwar Ibrahim secure control of the 222-seat Malaysian Parliament. Datuk Seri Anwar was sworn in as Malaysia's 10th Prime Minister last Thursday.

The three main coalitions in the so-called unity government have 135 seats altogether: PH with 82, BN with 30 and Gabungan Parti Sarawak's 23. This is well beyond the minimum 112 seats needed to form the government.

Other smaller coalitions and parties have since decided to support the PH-led government, with Datuk Seri Anwar saying he now has behind him two-thirds of the House, or 148 seats.