‘IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN – OR MAHATHIR WOULD BE RENEGING ON HIS WORD,’ SAYS NAZRI: WHILE BERSATU MAN KADIR SAYS – ‘UP TO NAZRI TO BELIEVE OR NOT’

PETALING JAYA: Datuk Seri Nazri Abdul Aziz has rubbished claims that dozens of Umno MPs were leaving the embattled party to join the Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad-led PPBM.

The vocal Umno veteran said the statement by PPBM supreme council member Datuk A. Kadir Jasin that up to 40 Umno lawmakers were joining the latter’s party was mere wishful thinking.

“I don’t think I need to comment on that. Kadir is just hoping that after Tok Pa (Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed) jumped ship to PPBM, that more would follow suit.

“But that will never happen,” he told theSun today.

Kadir had, on Saturday, said 40 Umno parliamentarians might leave the party and join PPBM, revealing that they had met with PPBM chairman Mahathir and party president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin recently.

His statement came less than a day after Mustapa joined the party, having only left Umno about a month ago.

However, Nazri pointed out that Mahathir himself had previously said PPBM would not accept those from Barisan Nasional (BN), and that Mustapa was the only exception to date despite many other Umno MPs and assemblymen having left the party after the polls.

“I don’t think there are 40 MPs quitting us. Tun had warned before that he will not accept BN members. And even until today, although there were a number of our lawmakers who became independent, they are still not accepted as PPBM members.

“So I doubt Kadir’s statement holds any water. And it is based on this that I don’t believe 40 MPs will leave us,” he said.

Asked if he was one of the MPs who had supposedly met with Mahathir and Muhyiddin, Nazri simply laughed it off, saying: “No, no. That definitely did not happen.”

When contacted, Kadir said it was up to Nazri to believe what he wanted, refusing to comment any further.

Umno secretary-general Tan Sri Annuar Musa also refuted Kadir’s statement, saying if there ever were any Umno MPs meeting the PPBM top leadership, it was to visit Muhyiddin over his health condition.

Muhyiddin had in July undergone surgery to remove a pancreatic tumour and was on a month-long leave from office, before finally swearing in as an MP a month late.

“If there were any meeting that took place, it is not as what was reported. It was simply to visit Muhyiddin, even among those from our top leadership,” he said.

Meanwhile, DAP strategist Liew Chin Tong urged Pakatan Harapan leaders not to jump to conclusions in regards to the possibility of 40 Umno MPs changing allegiances.

“For me, whatever things said among ourselves, let’s not jump to any conclusion. I’m sure we knew better than to just read news headlines.

“If we want the people not to be jumpy when reading sensational news headlines, leaders have to articulate thoughts before sharing their views,” he said in a statement.

THE SUN DAILY