UMNO Secretary General Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan announced that UMNO and Bersatu are ‘divorced’ and will not be working as partners for any reason in the next general election.
Ahmad said there were many reasons for parting ways, such as the establishment of Bersatu in 2016 which had caused the UMNO-led Barisan Nasional to lose power in the 2018 general election.
Based on a media report, Bersatu’s actions in enticing UMNO state assemblymen and MPs to defect had made it difficult for both parties to work together.
“They gave incentives to those who jumped (to Bersatu); for example, some were given positions. Out of the 31 seats that Bersatu in the Dewan Rakyat, six are their original seats and 10 are from the group of former PKR members led by Gombak MP Azmin Ali, while 15 were from UMNO.”
Ahmad added, Bersatu had been established with the intention of replacing UMNO’s position in national politics and the party had adopted many of UMNO’s characteristics.
Bersatu was formed by former UMNO leaders Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir and their followers.
The party was a member of the Pakatan Harapan coalition which had power in the 2018 general election.
Furthermore, Ahmad said he did not feel that other opposition parties would work with Bersatu as they had different goals.
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