PUTRAJAYA: Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) members have been told not to worry about former Umno leaders joining the party as they are not doing it to get any position.
Masjid Tanah MP Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin who formally joined Bersatu on Dec 21 said members of the public should not get the wrong idea about former Umno members, including herself.
“Former Umno members are not joining Bersatu to get positions because what is more important is that the voice of the Malays must be heard and to me, personally, it (joining Bersatu) allows me to serve my Parliamentary constituency better.
“I have met the Masjid Tanah (Bersatu) leadership much earlier and was prepared to help in the community issues in the Parliamentary constituency,” she told reporters when met after the Bersatu Annual General Assembly at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC).
Commenting on the worry in the minds of many people that Bersatu would become Umno 2.0 after many former Umno leaders joined it, Mas Ermieyati who was the former head of Puteri Umno said what was most important was how the party managed itself and she was prepared to contribute her views and share her experiences.
Commenting on the policy speech by Bersatu chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad that the party would only accept former Umno leaders as independent individuals and if accepted, they cannot hold any posts until the 15th general election, Mas Ermieyati said she respected the view.
Meanwhile, Bagan Serai MP Datuk Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali who also joined Bersatu after quitting Umno said the proposal was a test of the sincerity of former Umno members like himself.
However, he said, exemption should be given to former Umno leaders who were experienced and proven innocent of any wrongdoing. –Bernama
