Why hasn't action been taken against Umno, asks Dr M

© Provided by Media Prima Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who is prime minister, said it is baffling that despite Umno’s alleged misconducts, no action has been taken against the party. (BERNAMA)

PUTRAJAYA: Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has questioned why the relevant authorities have yet to initiate an investigation into the wrongdoings committed by Umno.

Dr Mahathir, who is prime minister, said it is baffling that despite Umno’s alleged misconducts, no action has been taken against the party.

“During my time as Umno president, the party was banned when three divisions failed to conduct meetings.

“Bersatu was also banned just before the 14th general election.

“From what I see, Umno has committed many wrongdoings but it is still accepted, and haven’t been banned.

“We are not calling for it (Umno’s de-registration) but are merely voicing our opinion,” he told reporters after chairing Bersatu’s supreme council meeting today.

Dr Mahathir said the meeting also raised questions over Umno’s financial standings after the latter reportedly sold off its stake in several media companies recently.

"At the meeting today, we spoke about Umno becoming rich. According to a report in The Edge, they acquired RM2 billion. They made a lot of money when they sold their stake in the media companies.

‘What are they doing with the money,” he asked.

At the same time, Dr Mahathir said the door is also open to ex-Umno members to join Bersatu, provided they meet the criteria.

He said the invitation only applied to those who do not have any “problems” such as court cases.

“We can’t accept those who have cases against them in court, only those who are free of these will be accepted,” he said.

Asked on how many Umno leaders are expected to jump to Bersatu, Dr Mahathir said he has no estimated figure.

Meanwhile, on a separate matter, Dr Mahathir said he was unaware of the appointment of Jalil Rasheed as the new Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB) president and group chief executive, which takes effect on Oct 1.

He said he did not have any information on the appointment of Jalil, who is the investment director for the Singapore office of UK-based fund manager Invesco.

"PNB is under (Tan Sri Dr) Zeti Akhtar Aziz. She didn't tell me anything," he said.

Dr Mahathir was asked if Jalil would is a suitable candidate to understand and champion issues pertaining to the economy of the Bumiputera, given that his experience was mostly gained abroad.

PNB, in a statement on Wednesday, had said that Jalil’s appointment was in line with the government’s wish to make optimal use of Malaysian global talents and was consistent with the fund’s strategic initiative to diversify its assets globally. -nst