YOURSAY | Is Bersatu planning a hostile takeover of Harapan’s leadership?

Dr M vows Umno will not take over Bersatu

Monty: This is a very reassuring statement from Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, but sorry to say, this is simply not enough for Malaysians.

These sleazebags from Umno, especially those in the former government or even in the divisional and branch heads, are all implicated directly or indirectly in former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak’s corrupt behaviour.

Just a cursory evaluation of their assets will show they were all living way above their earnings. And that is the reason why they closed both eyes to the corruption in government. Trying to vet them is impossible.

If they have now 'opened' their eyes to Najib's corrupt practices, they can leave Umno and remain as independents while supporting the Pakatan Harapan government.

Mahathir and indeed PKR president Anwar Ibrahim should not forget how these leaders condemned both of them previously. They have no scruples at all. And now, you can see how they would rather have Najib to head Umno instead of their own deputy president.

This, after witnessing Najib and all top leaders including heads of statutory bodies being hauled to court to face charges of robbing the country of billions of ringgit, which even non-Malaysians cannot comprehend and fathom.

These people have learned nothing. It is even possible that these people want to get back on the government bench to avoid scrutiny of their own past activities.

And Tun (Mahathir), should you continue to take in these people, you will risk losing loyal people who have supported you and Harapan who were instrumental in bringing you back to power.

Personally, I want to remember you as the great redeemer who gave us all our respectability and maruah (dignity) back.

Quigonbond: Mahathir, I don't think we are worried anymore about Bersatu being taken over by Umno. That's just a polite way of telling you we don't like Bersatu taking in defectors.

Given what Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and a few other Umno leaders have said, and your own proclivity for masterminding things like this, Malaysians are certainly questioning whether this entire sorry episode has been engineered, and whether Umno people had even pressured to quit, and to join and thereby strengthen Bersatu.

Strengthening Bersatu in isolation is fine, but Bersatu does not exist in isolation. It exists in a ruling coalition that has made repeated promises to make Anwar the next prime minister.

Bersatu taking in a lot of Umno MPs puts to question the sincerity of that promise, and makes people ask whether Bersatu is planning a hostile takeover of Harapan’s leadership. It troubles a whole lot of Malaysians.

Quit making excuses that these MPs are merely followers. They are elected. That makes them leaders. Leaders need to show moral courage, integrity, and smarts, all of which they failed to display before GE14.

Saying you will filter them, that there are good people among them, is just a convenient excuse to recruit them.

Please, enough already. Malaysians want a status quo from GE14 results. If you want your two-thirds majority to pass constitutional amendments, go get bipartisan support.

Most of the reforms are good for the opposition, so I don't see them rejecting it. Even if some reforms are not palatable to them, when you present the deal as a package, they have to take the palatable and non-palatable together.

BN should also vehemently challenge this notion that they will not agree to any constitutional amendment. Don't just sit there and do nothing (and I don't mean spewing more of the race/religious supremacy nonsense) while you are being decimated.

Anonymous #33227154: It is Bersatu who is taking over Umno. When that happens, Bersatu will be no different from Umno with corrupt and racist members.

Why taint Bersatu with Umno defectors? Is it to strengthen the power base of Bersatu in Harapan?

We don't want politicians who are power-crazy and just want to win elections. Mahathir should focus on how to save Malaysia's economy and helping the people instead of wasting time on political games with Umno.

Spinnot: The old Umno Baru or its frogs won't take over Bersatu.

What is happening is that Bersatu is now accepting the corrupt and racist politicians from the old Umno Baru and regrouping them under Bersatu, a new Umno Baru.

The old Umno Baru may have died, but a new Umno Baru is born, with a new name tag called Bersatu.

SRMan: Mahathir, when you are around, you can call the shots and pull the strings and Umno defectors are unlikely to take over Bersatu.

But should you not be around one day, the Umno deserter-leaders with their followers and supporters, having easily outnumbered the original Bersatu members would have the power to decide the destiny of the party.

Then people like Najib can even be accepted into your party and become its leader. Not surprising really. After all, it is Umno 2.0.

PM: I don't like two-thirds majority, I want a strong opposition

Sara Wak: With due respect, prime minister, it's not a matter of whether you don't like a two-thirds majority or not, it’s what the rakyat in Malaysia Baru expect - no more two-thirds majority to any governing coalition, to ensure leaders work in accordance with democratic principles and rule of law to achieve what they have to do to move the nation forward.

By that, don't ever give excuses that you can't table reforms - you have just got to get agreement and support via the bipartisan approach.

In that sense, stop raking in rubbish to your party. Stop justifying it so that your party can take in more Umno leaders.

We just got rid of Umno. They need to sit on the opposition bench to reflect and adapt to democratic governance and watch your government like a hawk.

The people who voted them out made their choice in GE14. Live with it for the next five years.

Meantime, to walk the talk of democratic governance, allocate equal funding to Umno and other opposition MPs as they are duly elected representatives of the people.

Doing so will neutralise the accusation that the majority race isn't being taken care of by the Harapan government. How difficult is that?

The majority of the rakyat don't buy your justification.

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