WITH the Johor state election heating up, a UMNO veteran urged the party leadership to be open to readmit former members who have joined other parties, if they are interested.
“Recently, several senior leaders from Johor Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) announced that they will be supporting UMNO and Barisan Nasional.
“In my view, this is not a bad thing. I see it as a rejuvenation process as our old members are returning to the fold,” former UMNO secretary general Tan Sri Annuar Musa said, in a Facebook post.
The upcoming Johor state election has triggered a bitter battle between UMNO-led Barisan Nasional and Bersatu-led Perikatan Nasional, with the latter accusing the former of unilaterally dissolving the state assembly.
The feud intensified after two Johor Bersatu state assemblymen, Mazlan Bujang and Mohd Izhar Ahmad announced their exit from the party and voiced support for BN last month.
UMNO is solid, unlike others
Irate by the defections, Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin called Mazlan dishonourable. However, the latter shot back, reminding the former prime minister of his betrayal of then-ally, Pakatan Harapan.
Touching on the matter, Annuar said UMNO should be open to accept former members who wish to return to the party’s fold.
“If we look at our political history, all splinter parties were driven by personalities, not organisation or ideology. Usually, they don’t last long.
“But UMNO is different. We have strong grassroots and a firm organisation. We are not driven by any personalities,” the Communications and Multimedia Minister stated.
He remarked: “I pray that more of our former members who had left the party will return and continue with our struggle. UMNO must be open to this and we must take the lead.” – Feb 7, 2022.
