KUALA LUMPUR: Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) is seen as not being serious about contesting in the 14th general election (GE14), former PPBM executive secretary Kamarul Azman Habibur Rahman said.
He said apart from targeting the prime minister's post and contesting the most number of seats among the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition members, the “party of Umno discards” wants only to prioritise seats to be contested by its top brass – chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, and his deputy Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir.
Kamarul Azman, who was among seven founding members of the party, said PPBM claimed the most number of seats for GE14 merely to justify its claim as being a leading force in PH, thus qualifying it for the prime ministerial post.
In fact, discussions among the opposition coalition have shown that PPBM is not serious in preparing for GE14, as it is more focused on positions gained by certain individuals.
"I have raised the issue of seat allocation for Negri Sembilan, where emphasis had to be given to Muhyiddin. But (the issue) never received his support, as he was more interested in his own position… the same with Dr Mahathir.
"PPBM is also trying to deceive others by claiming that they are ready for the elections, but we do not see many of their candidates being capable of winning either state of Parliamentary seats," Kamarul Azman said when contacted on Saturday.
In the distribution of Parliamentary candidates in the peninsula, PPBM was given 52 seats, while PKR was given 51, DAP 35 and Parti Amanah Negara (PAN) 27.
The distribution of state seats is expected to be finalised at the end of this month, before being handed to the opposition coalition's presidential council.
But Kamarul Azman claims that PPBM is disregarding state seats, as their emphasis is on the Parliament, so as to enable Dr Mahathir to return as prime minister, should Pakatan Harapan win the GE14.
He said the party is still bogged down by internal crises at the grassroots level, including at division and state levels, with a number of division chiefs yet to be named; while the leadership is also not working to resolve issues in several states, including Selangor, Perak, Negri Sembilan, Terengganu and Pahang.
"PPBM (sees) the GE14 (merely) as a vehicle for post-election negotiations.
"It will be the worst-performing party in GE14. (When that happens), the choice for PPBM will be between its leaders accepting their small part in the opposition coalition, and negotiating with Barisan Nasional (BN) to return, on condition of being giving top posts in the government," said Kamarul Azman.
He said he will mobilise teams of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the three seats to be contested by Dr Mahathir, Muhyiddin and Mukhriz, to explain and enlighten voters in those areas over the matter.
Translated from Berita Harian