OF COURSE MUKHRIZ WOULD DEFEND HIS DAD: BERSATU WELCOMES ONLY ‘CLEAN’ UMNO MEMBERS – YET ARE NOT SOME OF THE MOST RACIST & CORRUPT UMNO MEN ALREADY IN BERSATU?

PETALING JAYA – Leaders in Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia welcome Umno members to join the party. But they cautioned that the new members must have “good values”.

Bersatu deputy president Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir said that as much as unity was important, the concept of all Malays under one political party must come with the right set of values.

He said “thieves” would not be allowed to join.

“Unity must come about with a set of good values. The reason for unification must be clearly outlined.

“For those who do not share these good values, having them as part of the unification may not bring about the desired outcome,” he said yesterday.

Mukhriz was commenting on Bersatu chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s call on July 5 to all Malays, especially Umno members, to come together under the umbrella of Bersatu for the sake of unity.

Umno is currently the biggest Malay-based political party, followed by PAS, Bersatu and Parti Amanah Negara.

This is not the first time Dr Mahathir had made such a call, for he had many times lamented that Bersatu had yet to get the right numbers to be a dominant Malay-based party.

At present, Bersatu has accepted former Umno leaders and members who are considered “not tainted with corruption” with a caveat they will not hold party positions until the next general election.

Mukhriz said that Dr Mahathir’s intent to welcome Umno members into Bersatu was merely on the strength of unity.

“It’s no good harping on Malays and Islam if there’s no unity,” he said, adding that fighting still existed between various parties claiming to represent the Malays and Islamic interests.

Bersatu secretary-general Datuk Marzuki Yahya said the party had no choice but to heed the call of Dr Mahathir and be “a transformer party”.

He said Umno leaders and members should take the invitation seriously if they wish for Malay unity.

Marzuki, who will be in charge of filtering new members, said former Umno members keen to join the party should have nothing to worry if they were “clean”.

Perak Bersatu chief Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu said if Bersatu wanted to be the dominant Malay-based party, it could not say no to Umno members.

“Bersatu is the platform for the Malays now because we are the main Malay-based party in the government.

“With the Malays squabbling with each other, Malaysia will not move forward. We have no choice but to welcome all Malays into Bersatu,” said Ahmad Faizal, who is also Perak Mentri Besar.

On July 6, Rembau Umno MP Khairy Jamaluddin called upon Umno members not to simply dismiss Dr Mahathir’s invitation to join Bersatu, stating that the Prime Minister was right in his call to unite the Malays.

Umno leaders, including president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, have declined the invitation, stating that it is Bersatu members who should join Umno.

– ANN