Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail has extended her welcome to Bagan Serai parliamentarian Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali who had today quit Umno to support Pakatan Harapan. 

"That is his choice," the Harapan president said when met at a Hari Raya open house organised by the Selangor government today. 

"We welcome any state assemblyperson and parliamentarian to come and join us and make a change for the country," she said. 

When asked if Harapan component parties should accept Noor Azmi if he wished to be a member of the ruling coalition, she said it was up to Perak Harapan to decide. 

Earlier today, Noor Azmi announced that he had left Umno and pledged to support Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and the new Harapan federal government. 

Last month, Mahathir, who is also Harapan chairperson, had said he wanted an end to the new ruling coalition accepting defectors from BN.

He said this was because such a move does not reflect well on Harapan in the eyes of the people.

In the weeks following the historic May 9 polls, many component parties have left BN, several of which have pledged their support to the new government. 

Bersatu, which won only 13 parliamentary seats out of 222 and its chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad helming the country, appeared eager to get cooperation and support from former BN parties.

Last month, Johor Bersatu secretary Osman Sapian oversaw the defections of three Umno assemblypersons to Bersatu, giving Harapan a two-thirds majority in the state assembly. 

Behrang assemblyperson Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi, who had triggered the 2009 Perak constitutional crisis by dumping PKR then, had applied to join Bersatu after the general election.

After backlash, Perak Menteri Besar Ahmad Faizal Azumu rejected Jamaluddin's application to join Bersatu.