FORMER Ketereh MP Tan Sri Annuar Musa has lashed out at UMNO, calling it a party being driven to its imminent doom by a driver “high on ketum”.
In comparing political parties to vehicles, the former UMNO lawmaker said PAS has consistently travelled along a straight route, unlike his former party.
“UMNO initially travelled along a straight route but is now not reaching its destination due to a driver who is high on ketum,” he was quoted as saying at a ceramah in Pasir Puteh, Kelantan last night (June 19).
As such, the newly-minted PAS leader said he has no regrets about being sacked from UMNO, adding that political affiliation is like a motor vehicle and every vehicle has its own “driver”.
“To us Muslims, what matters is the station (destination of the vehicle) and not the driver,” he was quoted as sayin.
The former Kok Lanas assemblyman also addressed the cause for the alleged split between UMNO and PAS when both parties had collaborated under the Muafakat Nasional (MN) banner in 2019.
According to the former communications and multimedia minister, PAS was never the troublemaker when the Islamist party had previously worked with UMNO in the government.
MN is also the name of the political alliance formed in 2019 between PAS and UMNO against the then Pakatan Harapan (PH) government led by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad which had come into power after 2019’s general election.
“PAS leaders are very easy to work with. Whatever UMNO asked, they [PAS] were agreeable to it,” continued Annuar.
“[Prior to the formation of the previous government Tan Sri Hadi Awang clearly said that he did not want any Cabinet position even though he is the PAS president.”
Annuar was UMNO’s Ketereh division chief for 35 years before he was sacked in December 2022, alongside two of the party’s Wanita division chiefs from Perlis for alleged breach of party discipline.
He officially joined PAS and had received his membership certificate from Hadi at a PN event on Saturday (June 10).
PAS secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan, who made the announcement, said apart from Annuar’s application, PAS had also approved some 3,000 other applications. – June 20, 2023
Main pic credit: Utusan Malaysia
