In Umno, whispers of clearing out Bersatu’s friends

 

Umno seems set to get rid of members who are aligned with its nemesis Bersatu. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA: Umno members have turned their attention inward towards a party clean-up after having seen the party navigate through an impasse between Perikatan Nasional (PN) and Pakatan Harapan (PH) over who would form a government after the general election (GE15).

“There’s a need for us to clean house. There are still some among us who are pro-Bersatu,” said a high-ranking Umno leader.

Bersatu, which mainly comprises former Umno members, is the dominant party in PN with Muhyiddin Yassin as its president.

Earlier this week, Muhyiddin said he had statutory declarations (SDs) from 10 Barisan Nasional (BN) MPs backing him to become prime minister.

“All 10 retracted their SDs,” said the Umno leader, “but it’s too late, they’ve shown their hand. We know they are not loyal to the party.”

He said the willingness of the 10 members to back Muhyiddin “would have been the worst possible scenario for us” because Bersatu and PAS, its partner in PN, would have gone all out to destroy Umno.

Umno is expected to hold its delayed party elections within six months after the Nov 19 general election.

The source said the party elections were the best means for Umno to rid itself of those who did not have the party’s best interests at heart.

He said party leaders hoped that, at the party elections, Umno grassroots would remember the advice former president Najib Razak gave at a Sabah BN convention, in which he said there were four types of people in BN.

One was a “frog” or defector, another those “hiding in a cave” or absent, the third those supporting Bersatu, and the fourth were those loyal to the party.

Umno supreme council member Puad Zarkashi said those who did not abide by the party’s collective decisions needed to be weeded out.

“These are the people who are weakening Umno. So we need to evaluate (all leaders) and reject those who go against the party.” He said Umno must close ranks after the general election, regroup and prepare for the next general election.

“We must also explain to the grassroots that our decision to be part of the unity government is a collective decision and in line with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s wish for a unity government,” he said.

At the general election, Umno won 26 of the 30 seats won by BN, the other four seats went to MCA (2), MIC and PBRS.

BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has declared support for the government to be formed by PH chairman Anwar Ibrahim, who took office as prime minister on Friday.

The Anwar administration now has a two-thirds majority in the Dewan Rakyat with 148 seats, comprising PH with 82 seats, BN (30), Gabungan Parti Sarawak (23), Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (6), Warisan (3), Parti Bangsa Malaysia (1), and three other Sabahan MPs.

PN, with its 73 seats, has decided to stay out of the unity government, saying it will form the opposition and act as a check and balance. - FMT