Umno sec-gen admits having tough time as reps courted

Umno secretary-general Annuar Musa today admitted he is faced with the difficult task of retaining Umno's elected representatives amid attempts to lure them to other parties.

“I receive constant information or people continuously approaching our MPs and assemblypersons.

“Some have made up their minds, you know, to cross over. I am having a tough time as secretary-general to keep everybody together,” he told reporters in Parliament today.

Annuar was commenting on Guar Chempedak assemblyperson Ku Abdul Rahman Ku Ismail's (photo below) decision to quit Umno to become an independent.

The Ketereh MP said Umno respected the decision of its elected representatives and pointed out that BN does not have agreements or contracts which tie them down.

“So it is up to the individuals (to remain or leave Umno),” he added.

According to Annuar, some elected representatives are only concerned about allocations.

“There are those who feel they will not get allocations as the opposition and therefore, it will be difficult to exercise their responsibilities. So they use this as an excuse to leave, on the supposed grounds it is in the interest of their voters.

“However, to certain quarters, politics is not about serving the people or bringing projects. It is about principles. So the party we choose, we must have confidence in its policies,” he added.

Annuar: I can never join DAP

On a personal note, Annuar said he could never join DAP because of his disagreement with the party's “Setapak Declaration”.

“To me, that declaration is fundamental because it no longer wants to differentiate between bumiputera and non-bumiputera... This is something enshrined in the Federal Constitution. For those of us in Umno, we defend what is in the constitution.

“We cannot support things which are not in line with the constitution, for example, Icerd (International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination) ... So it is just not about service to the voters,” he added.

DAP's Setapak Declaration states:... “In the process of nation-building, ethnic equality must be made the paramount principle, and it is upon this principle that the separation of citizens into bumiputera and non-bumiputera is strongly opposed.”

Meanwhile, Annuar said Umno's ongoing nationwide tour aims at convincing those in the party to remain loyal.

“We engage more, discuss with all our elected representatives. We rationalise and share information.

“This sort of engagement is the only thing we can do. We cannot force them (to remain loyal). We can continue to engage them. If they are unhappy, we can discuss and move forward.

“So it all depends on the individuals,” he added.

Previously, it was reported that Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's Bersatu is courting at least 40 MPs from Umno.

Certain quarters have criticised Bersatu for accepting Umno lawmakers into its fold. - Mkini