UMNO’s cooperation with PAS is not the main reason several veteran leaders have quit the party, remaining leaders said.

Former agriculture and agro-based industries minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek said there were other reasons that the top leadership should uncover and address, adding that the discontent of those who left went beyond the party’s cooperation with PAS.

“The top leadership in Umno should pay attention to this development. I do not think the cooperation with PAS is the reason for these leaders to quit the party.

“There is definitely other deeper reasons that are not known,” he told The Malaysian Insight but did not elaborate on what they were.

Earlier today, Anifah quit Umno after Mustapa, a party Supreme Council member, threw in the towel yesterday.

Their move follows Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s attendance at the opening of the PAS muktamar in Kuala Terengganu over the weekend, where the two rival parties talked about stronger cooperation.

Anifah, in statement this afternoon to explain his decision, said he quit because Barisan Nasional had failed to keep its promises on matters related to the Malaysia Agreement 1963, which concerned the rights of Sabah and Sarawak as territories equal in stature to Malaya.

Shabery, who is also on the Supreme Council, said he hoped both Anifah and Mustapa have not been promised positions in other parties.

“I hope they did not leave Umno to search for any positions that were being offered because they are both men of principle and will not leave the struggle for posts and positions,” Shabery added.

Kepala Batas MP Reezal Merican Naina Merican said the news of Mustapa and Anifah quitting Umno was “disappointing” as they were stalwarts of the party.

Reezal, also a Supreme Council member, said there was more than meets the eye on their decisions to leave.

“I don’t think PAS is only the reason, there is something else. For Anifah, it might be because of Sabah issues,” Reezal told The Malaysian Insight.

Kinabatangan MP Bung Mokhtar Radin said he was shocked by both Mustapa and Anifah’s departure, as they were highly ranked leaders in the party.

“I am quite shocked as they had good positions in the party,” Bung told The Malaysian Insight.

The Supreme Council member said despite Umno losing power in the last election, only the strong can remain in the party.

“In this struggle that is filled with obstacles, only the leaders that are consistent will survive; those who are weak will falter and drift away,” Bung said.

Meanwhile, Putrajaya Umno Youth chief Ahmad Faisal Abdul Karim claimed Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad was using the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to threaten Umno leaders into quitting the party.

“Dr Mahathir is using the MACC to pressure these Umno leaders to be investigated. This is one of the reasons they quit from Umno,” he told The Malaysian Insight but did not explain how.

“Dr Mahathir’s plan is to add more seats to Bersatu if in case Anwar Ibrahim wins the Port Dickson by-election. This is a political move to strengthen Dr Mahathir’s party,” he added.

Mustapa’s and Anifah’s departure now leaves Umno with 49 lawmakers and BN with just 52 seats in Dewan Rakyat.

Mustapa yesterday said he had lost faith in Umno’s direction, which is seen as leaning even more to the right in its attempts to cooperate with rival PAS.

Anifah’s first threat to leave Umno was after the 2008 general election, when Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was prime minister.

Anifah had questioned Abdullah as to why Sabah lawmakers were not given minister posts in the cabinet even though the state had contributed significantly to BN’s electoral victory that year.

He then threatened to leave again in March this year to pressure former prime minister Najib Razak over the return of Sabah’s special rights.

With Anifah gone, Umno’s MPs in Sabah are reduced to just six, in Kinabatangan, Labuan, Kudat, Sipitang, Beaufort, Beluran and Libaran. – September 19, 2018.