LEADERS WELCOME MAT TAIB’S RETURN
They say it will strengthen Umno and help BN recapture Selangor
UMNO leaders have welcomed the return of the party’s former vicepresident, Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib, to the party fold, saying it will strengthen the party.
Selangor Umno Liaison Committee chairman Tan Sri Noh Omar said his return was a morale booster for the state Umno.
He said it would ensure victory in the 14th General Election and the recapture of Selangor.
“Selangor Umno welcomes the great leader back.
We are still close and
I believe that Tan Sri (Muhammad) will raise our spirits in recapturing Selangor,” he said yesterday, following Umno president Datuk Seri
Najib Razak’s announcement on Muhammad’s return.
Umno information chief Tan Sri Annuar Musa said the return of the former party leader, who is also known as Mat Taib, showed that there was awareness that the party’s agenda was much more important than any individual’s agenda. “We welcome anyone who brings solidarity and political strength to Umno and the country.
Hopefully, there will be more former Umno leaders who will return as Umno’s doors are always open to all,” he said.
Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said Muhammad’s action proved that there was no other party which was sincere in championing the people’s cause, especially the Malays and Islam, other than Umno.
Selangor Barisan Nasional (BN) deputy chairman Datuk Mat Nadzari Ahmad Dahlan said Muhammad’s decision proved that Umno’s struggles for religion, race and nation were still relevant.
Selangor BN Information chief Datuk Dr Mohamed Satim Diman said Muhammad’s political position and experience in the opposition were seen as advantages for BN to organise its machinery more effectively.
In Machang, Bernama reported Kelantan Umno Liaison Committee deputy chairman Datuk Ahmad Jazlan Yaakub as saying that he was confident that more members who had left Umno would be returning to the party.
In Pahang, state Umno Youth chief Mohd Shahar Abdullah said the opposition was made up of political parties whose members only had their own interests at heart.
“The opposition has never been for the people because, despite using the word rakyat (in its previous incarnation as Pakatan Rakyat, which later collapsed) it only acted for its keluarga kecil... only in the interests of certain individuals in the (opposition),” he said.
“This is proved by Mat Taib (returning to Umno). The opposition only acts for its cronies as it is all merely a slogan.”
On Saturday, Anina Saadudin — one of the seven PPBM founding members — and the party’s vice-president Datuk Hamidah Osman, announced their resignations from the party.