PPBM - Mahathir's PRIBUMI - End of the road in sight

Focus Malaysia:

Bersatu will be “dead” without hold on premiership, Puad claims

UMNO claimed that Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) will meet its end if it loses grip on the prime minister’s post.

“Bersatu’s only lifeline is the premiership. Even if Perikatan Nasional remains in power, without the prime minister’s post, Bersatu will not last long,” said its supreme council member Datuk Puad Zarkashi in a Facebook post.



Prime Minister Tan Sri Mahiaddin Yassin is under pressure from various quarters to reconvene the Parliament soon to deliberate pressing matters affecting the country, especially the pandemic situation.

Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah has been pushing the matter as well to test Mahiaddin’s support, who many claimed have lost confidence of the House following several desertions.

However, the Pagoh MP and his supporters had refused to entertain the request, saying it would put MPs in danger of contracting COVID-19 despite all of them being fully vaccinated.

Last week, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the Malay Rulers have decreed the Government to reconvene the Parliament as soon as possible, adding the Emergency need not be extended beyond the Aug 1 deadline.

Bersatu cannot upstage Umno

In a surprise move, Pahang Bersatu chief Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah issued a statement yesterday to support Mahiaddin’s leadership, triggering speculation that the prime minister’s hold on power may be shaky.

On that note, Puad said that Bersatu’s was plagued with several problems, such as lack of grassroots support and hazy leadership succession unlike other parties.

“Just look at its grassroots. How many branches and members do they have? Most of Bersatu’s top leaders now come from the ‘frog cluster’,” he noted.

Touching on Umno, Puad said that the nationalist party has not held the prime minister’s post for three years now and yet it remains a formidable force in national politics.

“The situation now doesn’t favour our Prime Minister. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong and other Malay Rulers have called for the Parliament to be reconvened soon,” the former Kota Bharu MP remarked. – June 21, 2021