Santiago: Don’t accept Umno, BN members for 3 years

Klang MP says all Pakatan Harapan parties should keep in mind that people voted for a coalition free of Umno elements, after Dr Mahathir Mohamad said his party will accept Umno members.

Santiago said that people voted for integrity, transparency, and accountability.

PETALING JAYA: A DAP MP says the people may lose confidence in Pakatan Harapan if component parties accept former Umno and Barisan Nasional members.

Klang MP Charles Santiago said this after PPBM chairman Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the party might consider accepting Umno members with certain conditions.

“They have to quit the party first and be unattached. Then they have to state their stand on the Pakatan Harapan government and then we will consider their entry,” he was quoted as saying at a press conference today.

But Santiago said the people voted for PH which was free of Umno elements and that there would be a lot of people who want to jump to PH with the hope of doing “what they used to do” in Umno.

“It appears that Mahathir is loosening up on his own requirements, but we need to keep the spirit of what people voted for,” he told FMT.

On May 16, Mahathir said PH would not accept Umno members, and that those from Umno and BN could leave their parties and support PH as individuals, but not be members.

Santiago said there should be a warning to all PH parties that people voted for integrity, transparency, and accountability.

“These are things not found in the previous administration and accepting people from that administration to PH might not look good for us and create a loss of confidence in the people.

“If people really want to join us, they should wait for at least three years to show their sincerity. The people are watching us, if we slip up like this, they will start to doubt us.”

Thomas Fann, the chairman of ENGAGE, an NGO which had previously voiced concern over party hoppers, said it must be remembered that in the May 9 polls, voters rejected the “toxic politics of Umno”.

“We don’t want this type of politics to be imported into Pakatan Harapan through PPBM, because then this toxic culture will become part of PH.

“Quitting BN then being an independent before immediately joining PH doesn’t make a difference,” he said, adding this was essentially the same as party hopping.

This, he said, was why PH should have a two-year moratorium on accepting former BN members and elected representatives, though it was okay for them to be PH-friendly independents. -FMT