Many suitors but I’m sticking with Muhyiddin, says Santhara

 

Edmund Santhara Kumar said many parties had asked him to join them in GE15 but he has declined all offers.

KUALA LUMPUR: Edmund Santhara Kumar says that he is not leaving Bersatu despite getting numerous offers to join other parties in the next general election (GE15).

Santhara, who heads Bersatu’s associate wing, said he would remain in the party and work towards strengthening the wing.

“There are offers coming from various parties, but I’m not entertaining them.

“My stand is clear. I will remain in Bersatu with party president Muhyiddin Yassin,” he said after attending a Ponggal event organised by the wing here today.

Santhara was asked if the newly minted Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM) had asked him to join the party. PBM is currently led by Julau MP Larry Sng, who was formerly Sarawak PKR chief.

Among the Bersatu members who joined PBM were Lembah Jaya assemblyman Haniza Talha. She has been appointed PBM’s deputy president 1.

Meanwhile, Santhara, who is deputy tourism, arts and culture minister, said that Bersatu’s associate wing has more than 30,000 active members.

“Recently, we received applications from more than 1,000 former Johor DAP members, wanting to join Bersatu.

“This is proof that people see our party as offering a new approach,” he said, adding that he foresees the associate wing having 50,000 members by the first quarter of 2022.

Santhara said Muhyiddin had come to realise what the late Onn Jaafar intended to do by wanting to set up one party for all the races. He said this had later led to the birth of race-based parties in the country.

“Muhyiddin has somewhat realised Onn’s aim by allowing multi-racialism in Bersatu,” he said.

Asked if the associate membership in Bersatu was tantamount to double standards as non-Malays had limited rights, Santhara said the matter did not arise in the party.

“No, there is no question of double standards. Even the nation has two systems. If we need to enter Sabah, we need permits, right?”

Santhara was appointed as head of Bersatu’s associate wing in September last year.

He was the first non-Bumiputera MP to join Bersatu in August 2020. - FMT