MELAKA: Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) will not simply accept any application, be it from an influential person or a layman, to join the party, said its president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
Muhyiddin, who is also Home Minister, said every membership application would undergo a vetting process so that its acceptance into Bersatu would not contradict with the party’s goals or contravene the party’s rules.
“To join other parties, they must go through a cooling-off period, we have the same rule as well and they must also fulfil other conditions, like not having (involved in) any corruption, abuse of power and criminal cases against them.
“We have our own processes and procedures and there is no automatic acceptance. We even rejected some right from the start,” he told a press conference after officiating the Melaka Bersatu Convention 2018 at Stadium Hang Jebat in Krubong here today.
He claimed that many Umno members now realised that the party was in crisis and had no direction in defending the rights of Malays.
“We can see now that they are becoming increasingly aware, and realise what they did was wrong. Now, they know their party is not what it used to be anymore, so they switch camps. On the basis of understanding, we must not just reject (their applications),” he said.
On Wednesday, Umno Sabah’s entire liaison committee members and almost all the divisional chiefs in the state, including five members of Parliament, nine assemblymen and two senators quit the party.
Six more UMNO elected representatives resigned from the party on Friday.
Former Melaka Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Thamby Chik announced his decision to quit Umno today before submitting his membership application form to join Bersatu.
— BERNAMA