00:00A Pinang UMNO leader has proposed a cooling-off period among parties in the Unity government before the acceptance of defectors.
00:10Noor Ahmad, the Pinang UMNO information chief, said UMNO should strengthen its memorandum of understanding with other government component parties to ensure political stability.
00:20He said the Unity government should set up a disciplinary committee to investigate cases of member poaching in tandem with an improved MOU.
00:30Noor also said component parties in the Unity government should consider amending their constitutions to prohibit any defecting member from holding coalition positions.
00:40Yesterday, the UMNO Supreme Council reaffirmed its position that it is inappropriate for parties within the Unity government to recruit members from other component parties.
00:50Although no names were explicitly mentioned, the statement is widely believed to be referring to Tunku Zafrul Aziz's exit from the party.
00:58Natasha Bust, FMT
