Bersatu will not accept Ali Tinju, says its sec-gen

Bersatu will reject army veteran Ali Tinju's application and will not accept individuals like him into the party, said its secretary-general Marzuki Yahya.

Marzuki told Malaysiakini that he was surprised when a charity programme which he attended in Bandar Tun Razak yesterday announced that Ali, whose real name is Mohd Ali Baharom, would hand in his application to join the party.

This came after he received about 500 membership applications from the Bandar Tun Razak division chief during the event.

"Actually, I was invited to an event for the asnaf (impoverished). During the event, I delivered a speech and handed over aid to the asnaf.

"After that, the division chief handed in about 500 applications. Then suddenly, there was an announcement saying that Ali Tinju would also hand in his application form.

"He relayed his intention to join the party. He came politely and so we accepted the form," Marzuki explained.

However, Marzuki reiterated that the party will not forget what Ali Tinju had done in the past and his bashing of Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who is now prime minister.

"So let's make it clear that we will reject his application," he said, adding that he had never met Ali Tinju prior to that event.

Marzuki said also dismissed a report by a media portal that Ali Tinju had joined the party.

"No. That's wrong," he said.

Ali Tinju is known for leading counter-demonstrations opposing the electoral reform group Bersih and the TangkapMO1 anti-corruption protests, including a 2012 “butt protest” outside the home of Ambiga Sreenevasan, who was then Bersih co-chairperson.

FMT quoted Ali as saying that he is now a supporter of Bersatu chairperson Mahathir and has lost faith in the Umno leadership following the corruption scandals involving former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak.

“I joined Bersatu on my own accord. In Umno, I was not in a leadership position. So, we were just taking orders from the leaders,” he was quoted as saying.

When contacted by Malaysiakini, Ali Tinju said "it's okay" if his application would be rejected and added that he would not be saying anything further as he had relayed his intention to the media yesterday. - Mkini