COMMENT It is less than an hour before PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail announces who from Umno will be joining the party.

But all eyes are already on former deputy higher education minister Saifuddin Abdullah, who lost to a PAS candidate in Temerloh in the last general election.

Although Saifuddin himself has not personally responded to any WhatsApp enquiries, there are already reports confirming that he will be the one making a debut in Pakatan Harapan politics.

What are the implications, if Saifuddin is the one who decides to hop?

May signal an even bigger migration

Surely, Saifuddin’s former colleagues in Barisan Nasional (BN) would say there is no big deal with him moving on to Pakatan Harapan.

However, looking at the bigger picture, Saifuddin’s departure may signal an even bigger migration of his fellow Umno members to Pakatan Harapan, after members nationwide become disillusioned with Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

Saifuddin is known to be one of the better Umno leaders compared to others in the like of Abdul Rahman Dahlan, Salleh Said Keruak and Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

However, his push for moderation and being vocal has not earned him very much respect from Najib himself. Saifuddin is definitely not a ‘Mr Yes’ man which Najib would prefer to have in his cabinet.

He was one of the few leaders who spoke up for the university students who had battled against the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971.

Saifuddin, who was also well-liked by the operators of private tertiary education institutions when he was deputy minister, will do better when he takes the Pakatan Harapan platform.

Saifuddin’s debut in Pakatan Harapan may also pave the way for others who are finding themselves unable to introduce reforms within their own parties.

Leaders such as former MCA president Ong Tee Keat ( photo ) is also a likely candidate who will move to Pakatan Harapan to boost the existing quality of leaders. Others such as former Umno minister Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir may also join Pakatan Harapan. Both have been vocal recently.

Umno less attractive

With the latest development, it could only mean one thing - Umno will not have the pool of quality leaders that can be picked to lead the country.

In the words of former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the present cabinet ministers are ‘half-past-six’. Instead of showing their leadership in their respective portfolios, they have become preoccupied with the politics of the day.

What is worse is when you have ministers like Ismail Sabri making allegedly racist statements without being punished for it. And a minister who talks about Malaysians preferring to have slower speed Internet connections!

What more a home minister who writes to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to support someone who is known to be an alleged online gambling kingpin. Instead of being reprimanded, he becomes the country’s No 2 man!

What hope do Malaysians still have in Umno to lead the nation?

STEPHEN NG is an ordinary citizen with an avid interest in following political developments in the country since 2008.