KUALA LUMPUR – Umno secretary-general Annuar Musa today confirmed that discussions have taken place between Umno and PPBM.
Annuar said this was not something they could hide and that the party adopted a policy of openness. Umno, he added, was continuing to engage with all political parties, including PPBM.
“Some party members have met them (PPBM) in their personal capacity, and some party officials have met the PPBM leadership in a more semi-official manner.
“This is not something we can hide. Yes, I can confirm,” he said at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) today.
However, he did not say what was discussed.
The Ketereh MP admitted that many offers and counter-offers were now taking place, both through the front and back door.
“We cannot control our members by tying them up or mooring them. And politics should not be like that.
“It is up to them (the MPs and leaders). The options are wide open. Our journey as a political party is still long.
“Umno MPs are free to go anywhere. Those who remain with us must be convinced about Umno’s struggle,” he said.
On whether those who had left the party did so because they had offers, or were pressured, Annuar said it was not for him to speculate, and that the leaders who left the party would know better.
On whether MPs who had left the party should vacate their seats, Annuar said he had no right to ask them to resign, and that it was for the MPs to think about.
He said all those who left the party had given different reasons for leaving.
“There are those who said they have business interests with the government. The interests are too big and they need to save their business.
“There are those who are being probed by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and they leave the party because they do not want to get harassed. There are those who leave because they are stressed, unable to sleep for three nights because they are being probed by MACC.”
There were also those, he said, who were leaving because they wanted to set up a party structure similar to Umno.
Annuar dismissed the notion that Umno was now in dire straits, stating that only four leaders had left the party.
He used the analogy of a tree to describe Umno’s situation, where branches and twigs will break, and leaves will drop, but that does not mean the tree will die.
“There are trees which are battered by storms. These are the trees that are strong and stand firm because they are used to that situation.
“Political parties are like that. Umno will go through situations like that.
“Don’t judge us now. It has only been four months. We still have a long way to go. Judge us when the next general election comes around,” he added.
– FREE MALAYSIA TODAY
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