ZAHID DROPS BOMBSHELL – MAHATHIR WOULD ACCEPT EVEN HIM TO JOIN BERSATU SO LONG AS HE DISBANDED UMNO: ”GRANDFATHER’ INVITED ME TO JUMP BUT SAID 12 UMNO MPs WOULD NOT BE ACCEPTED’

UMNO president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said that 12 Umno lawmakers were barred by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad from joining Bersatu.

Zahid said that Dr Mahathir had invited him to defect to Bersatu and disband Umno, but had added that not all lawmakers from the former ruling party would be accepted.

“He said members of parliament could jump parties, but they would not accept all,” he said at a meeting with Umno Supreme Council members and committee members in the Pahang division.

Bersatu deputy president Mukhriz Mahathir was reported to have earlier said that Umno MPs from Pekan (Najib Razak), Bagan Datuk (Zahid), Baling (Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim), and Padang Rengas (Nazri Abdul Aziz) would not be considered for membership in Bersatu.

Zahid said Mukhriz had “left out” eight others, but declined to name them.

He said that in a meeting with Dr Mahathir, the 93-year-old leader said Umno was no longer accepted by the people.

“(Grandfather) asked me to jump, disband Umno, but I don’t want to,” said Zahid in reference to Dr Mahathir.

Mukhriz had earlier denied any agenda in his party accepting Umno lawmakers, and stressed that it was not against democratic practice.

He said that any Umno members wanting to join Bersatu would first need to be screened.

the malaysian insight