MALAYSIA PLUNGING INTO POLITICAL CRISIS: CAN PAKATAN REIN IN MAHATHIR’S AGGRESSIVE AMBITIONS – OR WILL PAKATAN BREAK UP? EVEN AS TOPMOST LEADERS PREPARE TO MEET, DR M STICKS TO HIS GUNS ON TAKING IN ‘GOOD PEOPLE’ FROM UMNO

THE issue of Umno leaders and members crossing over to Pakatan Harapan will be discussed by PH’s presidential council, said its secretary-general, Saifuddin Abdullah.

He said the matter would be discussed again, although the same subject matter had been raised in previous meetings.

“I am sure the matter (the participation of other party members in PH) is high on the minds of the leadership of all PH component parties,” he said.

Saifuddin, who is also Indera Mahkota MP, said this at a flood evacuation centre at SK Sungai Karang, which currently shelters 69 people, in Kuantan, today,

He was commenting on whether PH would receive Umno elected representatives, leaders or members, including Sabah Umno liaison chairman Hajiji Mohd Noor, 13 elected representatives and 21 division chiefs, who left the party on Wednesday.

There has been a massive exodus of Umno reps, leaders and members lately, with the latest media reports saying six elected representatives in the peninsula had left the party today. – Bernama

DR M: PPBM ONLY ACCEPT ‘GOOD PEOPLE’ FROM UMNO

KUALA LUMPUR – Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today defended Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia’s (PPBM) decision to accept former Umno lawmakers.

However, the PPBM chairman said they must first remain as independents lawmakers, support the government, and undergo individual assessment before eventually joining the party.

“There are good people in Umno, and there are also bad [people]. We don’t accept bad people, the good [people] we accept. I myself was an Umno member. They accepted me, Kit Siang accepted me,” he said, referring to DAP’s Lim Kit Siang.

“[It’s] not about membership, [it’s] about what we do. If you do something wrong, of course, you will be rejected,” he added, after attending the 20th anniversary of Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia.

When asked whether DAP and PKR are also reluctant to accept the former Umno members, Dr Mahathir said: “In PPBM also, there are people who dislike [accepting former Umno member], so whether like it or not, that’s personal.”

Six MPs left Umno today to be independent lawmakers.

This comes as Jeli MP Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed, Bagan Serai MP Datuk Noor Azmi Ghazali, and Masjid Tanah MP Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin joined PPBM previously.

On Wednesday, almost the whole leadership of Sabah Umno, including five MPs, nine assemblymen and two senators, announced their exit from the party, citing the party’s unclear direction. — https://www.malaymail.com

BERNAMA / MALAY MAIL