KJ: Dr M has valid concerns behind invite to unite Malay parties

While top Umno leaders have snubbed Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's invitation for all Malay parties to join Bersatu, Rembau MP Khairy Jamaluddin said there were valid concerns over a fractured Malay ground.

"I think the reason behind that (invitation) is something that we should give some serious thought to.

"He (Mahathir) is worried that the Malay politics is too fractured. Which is correct," Khairy said during a press conference after speaking at a forum in Kuala Lumpur today.

The former Umno Youth chief further said both BN and Pakatan Harapan needed to maintain a multi-racial coalition while at the same time uniting the Malays within.

"I know a lot of people today dismissed what he said yesterday and I think that's a bit arrogant.

"We may have disagreements with Dr Mahathir on many things but on the issue of the Malay ground being fractured, I think that's right," said Khairy.

Mahathir yesterday invited all Malay parties, including Umno, to join Bersatu in an effort to unite the Malays and ensure they are still able to win key elections.

This is due to Malays being too divided with more and more Malay parties being formed, he said.

In addressing the issue of a fractured Malay ground, Khairy dismissed reported remarks that Bersatu should rejoin Umno instead of it issuing an invitation to other parties.

"That's beside the point. That is later. This is not a contest about who has the biggest party. This is about something more fundamental," he stressed.

Asked whether he is personally open to the idea of Umno joining Bersatu, Khairy said he could not predict what the final permutation of parties would look like but it should not result in a severely weakened opposition front.

"So I don't know [...] maybe if Umno wants to join Bersatu I will stay as the sole opposition member," he quipped.

Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan this morning said the Malay division and loss of political power only occurred after Mahathir formed Bersatu and - more painfully - started working with DAP to defeat Umno.

He also said that it showed Bersatu was not capable of representing the Malays.

Likewise, PAS central committee member Muhammad Khalil Abdul Hadi said Mahathir and Bersatu should instead join PAS and Umno in their efforts to unite the Malays.

Bersatu was formed after a falling-out between Mahathir and Najib over the latter's leadership of Umno and the 1MDB scandal.

At present, besides Bersatu and Umno, other predominantly Malay parties are PAS, Amanah, Putra and Ikatan.

PKR which is a multiracial party also has a sizeable number of Malay members and was itself an Umno splinter group. - Mkini