Muhyiddin offers KJ Bersatu supreme council position

Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin has confirmed long-standing speculation that Perikatan Nasional had been trying to poach former Umno leader Khairy Jamaluddin ahead of the six state elections.

While the coalition chief denied that Khairy was offered a menteri besar post if the latter joins them, he said there was a different position waiting for the former Rembau MP.

"If he joins Bersatu we will offer him a supreme council position, if he is willing, because we know he can contribute," Muhyiddin said at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur today.

Khairy was sacked from Umno in January as part of a purge against dissidents to party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

While he has not indicated any moves to rejoin active politics since then, the former health minister had set tongues wagging when he appeared at an Aidilfitri open hosted by Muhyiddin's charity golf foundation last Saturday.

Asked whether this was a sign of an impending Khairy membership, Muhyiddin said it was the hope of all in PN.

"He has not applied to join (Bersatu) but I offered, and that offer still stands," he said.

The Pagoh MP said the offer was first extended in 2016 when the party was formed not long after he was sacked from Umno.

Khairy can strengthen PN

He said Bersatu's hope is that Khairy can help strengthen the party.

"We leave it to Khairy when he wants to make a decision, we don't want to push too much.

"But he is a very intelligent guy and he understands that the state election is coming soon... if he can consider it, this could be the better time (to join Bersatu)," Muhyiddin said.

During an episode of his podcast two weeks ago, Khairy said he was leaning 90 percent towards retiring from politics.

During that episode, he also questioned his guest - former Bangi MP Ong Kian Ming - whether he should join DAP.

Ong had replied in the positive, saying that Khairy and his co-host Shahril Hamdan Suffian could be possible prime minister candidates for DAP. - Mkini