Bersatu lacks grassroots, should consider 'sacrificing' - Umno man

Bersatu supreme council member Wan Saiful Wan Jan's call for Bersatu to "sacrifice" for the sake of Perikatan Nasional has not sat well with his Umno counterpart Puad Zarkashi (above).

In a statement today, Puad said Bersatu is a party without grassroots and its numbers in Parliament were supported by defections from Umno and PKR.

"Therefore, what's wrong with Bersatu sacrificing (instead) by joining Muafakat Nasional without any conditions.

"Alternatively, dissolve Bersatu, which doesn't have grassroots and join Umno just like Semangat 46 in the past. Are you willing (to consider that)?" asked Puad.

Yesterday, Wan Saiful suggested that Umno would have to "sacrifice a lot" in order for PN to be viable.

Although he did not elaborate, it is likely a signal that Umno must be prepared to make some room for Bersatu in seat allocations for the PN coalition.

Umno's resurgence

Puad, however, said Wan Saiful failed to consider that Umno had experienced a resurgence of late, winning five by-elections in a row (including Tanjung Piai, where Umno ally MCA was fielded).

He said it was Umno's grassroots that had allowed the party to win in these elections and questioned if Bersatu was capable of doing the same.

"Therefore, to be dominant, one must depend on the strength of the grassroots. Is Bersatu qualified to be the dominant party in Mersing, where the party only have five branches?

"Is Mersing Bersatu division willing to sacrifice in the next election and make way for an Umno candidate because Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad won on an Umno ticket?" asked Puad.

Latiff won the Mersing parliamentary seat with an impressive majority during the 2018 election but defected to Bersatu in February 2019. He is currently on his fifth term as the Mersing MP and is the rural development minister.

Hands off

Meanwhile, Puad also hinted that Bersatu should cease trying to "pluck fruits with a stick", possibly a suggestion that Bersatu was trying to entice further defections from Umno.

"Bersatu cannot be a dominant party (in PN) if they depend on the method of buying (loyalty) and offering positions.

"The party will become fragile and always be engaged in conflict. Umno and other parties are affected by this. It will weaken PN.

"It has happened in Johor, Malacca and Kedah," he said.

Johor, Malacca and Kedah are all states previously ruled by Pakatan Harapan and experienced a change of government just 22-months into their term.

However, the distribution of politically appointed positions has caused dissatisfaction among the PN leadership in the three states. - Mkini