‘PH can’t simply reject applications’
MELAKA: Due consideration needs to be given to the new political context in the country when dealing with Umno members who decide to leave the party and join Pakatan Harapan.
Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said this meant that if someone from Umno wanted to join PPBM, they should not be blindly denied the opportunity.
“If they truly believe that they cannot be in Umno any more, and that Umno cannot be defended any more, then we should not just reject their applications.”
He said this when asked to comment on former Melaka chief minister Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Thamby Chik’s bid to join PPBM despite “bad history” with certain PH leaders, in particular DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng.
“That was last time... then it was on the other side (BN). Now it’s on this side (PH). It’s like me. Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and I were also on the other side.
“So this is the latest political context. Looking at the new situation with a new perspective," he said at the Melaka PPBM convention.
Muhyiddin, however, said applications would be vetted.
He said PPBM would not blindly accept applications, particularly those involving Umno leaders.
He said any Umno leader wanting to join PPBM would first have to announce his resignation from the party, then go through a “cooling off ” period.
He said there were prerequisites, including that the applicant be free of allegations of corruption, abuse of power and criminal record.
“We have our procedures and processes. We won’t just accept automatically or blindly. We know there are some (former Umno leaders who don’t meet the prerequisites) and from the very beginning, we know we don’t want to accept them (into the party). If they want to join, we will reject, but we won’t say who (these people are).”
Rahim had earlier announced his resignation from Umno and submitted an application form to join PPBM to the party’s state chairman Datuk Seri Mohd Redzuan Md Yusof, saying that the reason he left was that Umno had lost the fighting spirit to champion Malays.