Over the weekend, it was revealed that Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) might be getting an influx of Umno members in the near future. According to The Star, PPBM’s Supreme Council member Datuk Kadir A. Jasin stated that 40 MPs had met with PPBM chairman and Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and the party’s president, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin recently.
However, PPBM has not yet made a decision on whether or not to accept them. This issue was discussed during a leadership council meeting last Friday (26th October). Kadir Jasin also stressed that the members had to leave Umno and become independent MPs first and that they should not all join PPBM at once.
Source: The Malaysian Times
In light of this news, Deputy Defence Minister Liew Chin Tong addressed that the possible transfer of 40 Umno MPs to PPBM has caused some anxiety among Pakatan Harapan (PH) supporters, fueling suspicions that the party could be becoming “Umno 2.0”. However, he has assured that the party will not just blindly accept these MPs. He stated in a Facebook post,
“Kadir as the veteran newsman and political strategist doesn’t write things for fun. He is careful to state that even if those Umno MPs desire to join Bersatu, it doesn’t mean that Bersatu will accept them blindly.”
“For me, whatever things said among ourselves, let’s not jump to any conclusion. I’m sure we (know) better than to just read news headlines.”
“If we want the people not to be jumpy when reading sensational news headlines, leaders have to articulate thoughts before sharing their views. More importantly, let’s build trust among leaders and between communities.”
https://www.facebook.com/liewchintong.my/photos/a.10151358937375911/10155830126805911/?type=3&theater
This news came shortly after it was revealed that Umno veteran and Jeli MP Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed (also known as Tok Pa) had left the party in September 2018 and just joined PPBM on Saturday (27th October). He had previously served Umno for 40 years.
What are your thoughts on the possibility of more Umno members joining PPBM? Let us know in the comments below.
Also read: UMNO Youth Urges Zahid to Take a Break from Presidency and Focus on Trial
