Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah speaks during an interview with The Malaysian Insider, Kuala Lumpur. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Seth Akmal, October 16, 2015.
Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah has shrugged off the "rubbish" remark from Umno secretary-general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, saying that such extreme reaction only shows people why he left the Malay ruling party.
"I believe the more he and Umno leaders use that kind of argument, the more people will understand why I left Umno.
"So, actually, Tengku Adnan was doing a good service to me. He indirectly explained to people who don't understand why I left," he said in an interview with The Malaysian Insider today.
Brushing aside Saifuddin's departure from Umno to PKR, Tengku Adnan had said yesterday that the party will not be affected because the former supreme council member had lost in the last general election.
He also said PKR was welcome to take in the former higher education deputy minister as there must be "some problem" with him.
"Saifuddin has been with us and used to be an MP for Temerloh. We put him in the last round and he lost. There must be some problem with him.
"Umno is not affected by him (Saifuddin) leaving. God bless him and God bless PKR," Tengku Adnan had said sarcastically.
Saifuddin, however, was not surprised with Tengku Adnan's remark, saying it was among the three types of reactions that he received from Umno-linked individuals after his entry into PKR was announced by party president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail yesterday.
He said another type of reaction was from Umno cybertroopers, who immediately attacked PKR for "lying" when news broke the night before that a "top" Umno leader will be joining the multi-racial party.
"I thought that was a sign of desperation by the cybertroopers because their first line of defence was just to look at whatever mistakes there is," he said.
On the flip side, he said there were encouraging responses from Umno members who know him, ranging from those who wished him the best, to those who understand the reasons behind him leaving Umno.
Saifuddin is aware that he had been labelled "hypocrite" by detractors who pointed to his 2012 tweet when he declared he would not leave Umno, as well as his support for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak during an interview with news portal Malaysiakini a few months ago.
However, he pointed out that since then, a lot has happened which made him reconsider his role in the party.
He reiterated the last straw was Umno and Putrajaya's handling of 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal and the RM2.6 billion deposited into Najib's personal accounts.
He said, as a Muslim, he cannot be complicit in wrongdoings.
"After the admission that the money was a donation, I started asking myself, can I still defend the party and the government of the day? I did soul searching and I couldn'tt find anything that allowed me to (defend the government and party).
"The whole top leadership seemed to think it's OK, when the whole world think it's wrong. I don't think it's OK." he added.
- TMI
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