Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan speaks to reporters at the Brinchang MCA’s district voting centre, January 24, 2019. ― Picture by Farhan Najib

KUALA LUMPUR, July 6 — Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan has said the party is ready to enter the “big umbrella” of BN to compete in the 15th general election, in the event it is declared illegal following accusations it accepted 1MDB funds.

Utusan Malaysia reported him as saying this is one of Umno’s strategies when it comes to being prepared for all eventualities.

Mohamad, fondly known as Tok Mat, this was evident even in the last general election when all of the party’s candidates did not contest on Umno’s ticket but instead used BN.

“This is our strategy. We will place ourselves under BN, go through GE15, and when we succeed in establishing a government, we will set up Umno 3.0. No problem,” he said during the officiation of the Umno Jerai division 2019 conference in Kedah.

Tok Mat reminded the audience of the Registrar of Societies’ recent statement that it is scrutinising the memorandum calling for Umno’s deregistration since it allegedly received 1MDB funds.

He also advised all party members to leave it to the leadership to manage and arrange the strategy in dealing with such situations.

Also present at the conference was Umno Kedah liaison committee chairman Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom, and permanent party chairman Tan Sri Badruddin Amiruldin. One hundred and fifty four of Jerai’s 156 branches participated in the conference.