‘Tok Pa’s move will not affect Kelantan politics’

PUTRAJAYA: Jeli member of parliament Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed joining Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) will not impact the political scenario in Kelantan, said Parti Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia (Putra) pro-temp president Datuk Ibrahim Ali.

Ibrahim said he would have expected Mustapa, or Tok Pa, to be the last person to leave Umno after it lost the 14th General Election (GE14).

“I was surprised by Tok Pa’s decision to join Bersatu (PPBM). Everyone knows him as he has been in Umno for so long.

“Many view him as a clean person, but when he jumped ship, it gave a different impression.

“His move to join PPBM does not have any effect on Kelantan politics because when he headed Umno in the state, Umno seats did not grow. Instead, they continued to decline,” he said after a meeting at the Registry of Societies (RoS) here yesterday.

On another matter, Ibrahim said his side was upbeat that RoS would approve Putra’s registration the latest by the end of next month.

He said several matters, including those that involved Putra’s constitution, were being fine-tuned to ensure a smooth process to register the party.

“Under the Barisan Nasional government, it took only a month.

“So it should be faster under the Pakatan Harapan government,” he said.

Mustapa had announced his decision to leave Umno on Sept 18 to become an independent MP.

He submitted a his membership application to PPBM chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in Petaling Jaya recently.

fI was surprised by Tok Pa’s decision to join Bersatu (PPBM). Everyone knows him as he has been in Umno for so long. Many view him as a clean person, but when he jumped ship, it gave a different. impression. DATUK IBRAHIM ALI

Parti Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia (Putra) pro-temp president