UMNO members seeking to join Bersatu must shed the “cash is king” mentality, said Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

“In Bersatu, we work for race, religion and country. There is no ‘cash is king’ here, and if Umno members want to join, they must get rid of this mentality,” said the party chairman in a video message on Bersatu’s Facebook page.

The video is aimed at addressing talk that more MPs from Umno would defect to Bersatu, after the Barisan Nasional lynchpin lost six lawmakers following the 14th general election. It is now left with 48 MPs.

Of the six who quit, four are now independents, while Jeli MP Mustapa Mohamed has joined Bersatu and Labuan’s Rozman Isli is with Parti Warisan Sabah.

Dr Mahathir said applications from Umno members will be screened before Bersatu decides whether to accept them.

“They need to leave the culture of seeking personal gain, and prioritise the struggles of the party. They must also prove that they no longer have ties with Umno.”

Citing former Umno president Najib Razak as an example of someone with the “cash is king” mentality, Dr Mahathir said it does not make sense for Najib to have received a RM2.6 billion donation without elements of corruption at play.

“I have met Umno people, and they told me they do not know how the money came in. I can’t accept this sort of excuse.

“They believe it is true, and I am baffled. Who in the world would want to donate RM2.6 billion, and what sort of kindness did Najib do to get the money? It does not make any sense.

“The only sensible thing is that he (Najib) stole the money.” – November 9, 2018.