Amanah becoming more acceptable
TEMERLOH: The presence of formerUmno leaders and members at the Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) 3rd Anniversary Celebrations at Dewan Tun Razak here yesterday indicates that the party is becoming more acceptable, said its president Mohamad Sabu.
He said the surprise appearance of former cabinet member Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar and Cheras Umno division chief Datuk Seri Syed Ali Alhabshee as well as children of past PAS leaders was most welcome.
“Whether they areUmno veterans or from our previous party (PAS) they are most welcomed to join Amanah. We look forward to their support to ensure we do not repeat the mistakes of the previous leaders which had led to the party’s defeat,” he told a press conference here yesterday.
Mohamad added that the invitation was also extended to former International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed who recently decided to quitUmno after being in the party for 40 years ago.
Mohamad, who is also Defence Minister, said so far he has not heard anything about Mustapa, better known as Tok Pa, joining the party and the Jeli MP has not contacted him.
However, he added a discussion would be held at the national leadership level to determine if former ministers, deputy ministers or menteri besar joining Amanah should be given posts, to avoid further issues.
Commenting on Amanah membership, he said the party aimed to increase its membership to 500,000 ahead of the 15th general election, with the majority comprising Malays and Bumiputeras.
He said currently Amanah membership stands at 100,000 and the number was increasing with the most number of membership forms coming in from Kelantan and Terengganu.
Mohamad added that the membership increase was also important because theUmno-PAS cooperation in the recent by-election showed that Pakatan Harapan might face PASMO (PAS +Umno) in the coming general election.
He added that Amanah’s popularity was also increasing among other races as more Indians and Chinese submitted their membership forms in Temerloh yesterday.