PAKATAN Harapan parties Bersatu, PKR and Amanah are jostling to take in certain Umno lawmakers who have quit the party, an Amanah official said.

Former Umno MPs Mustapa Mohamed and Noor Azmi Ghazali were two lawmakers that Amanah had hoped to net, but they opted for Bersatu instead.

“Being from Umno, they felt more comfortable with Bersatu,” said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity on the sidelines of the Amanah convention in Ipoh.

Noor Azmi, who is Bagan Serai MP, resigned from Umno on June 24, while Jeli MP Mustapa quit on Sept 24.

They were among the first Umno lawmakers to quit the party soon after the 14th general election in May.

On Wednesday, five MPs, nine assemblymen and two senators from Sabah also resigned from Umno.

Yesterday, another six MPs - Hamzah Zainudin (Larut), Rosol Wahid (Hulu Terengganu), Shabudin Yahaya (Tasek Gelugor), Mohd Faisah Mohd Fakeh (Sabak Bernam), Latiff Ahmad (Mersing) and Ikmal Hisham (Tanah Merah) - also quit the party. 

The Amanah source said the six who quit Umno yesterday will likely join PKR and Bersatu.

To date, Umno has lost 17 MPs, and is now left with 37 seats in parliament from the 54 in won in the May elections.

Their departures have also brought down Barisan Nasional’s numbers in parliament to 40.

Meanwhile, Amanah deputy president Salahuddin Ayub said that BN was crumbling on its own and this was good for PH.

“It’s good that BN is crumbling as they have been playing with racial politics for too long,” the agriculture minister told The Malaysian Insight on the sidelines of the Amanah convention.

But Salahuddin noted that PH should only accept MPs that have a clean record and not those with charges hanging over them.

“It is important that only those who have integrity are allowed to join us,” said Salahuddin, echoing a view from DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang yesterday.

“We should not just accept anyone even though it will help us with some of the reforms we want to make,” he added. – December 15, 2018.