Bersatu will not be another Umno - Wan Azizah

Bersatu is not going to morph itself into another Umno, Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said today.

Wan Azizah was confident there was nothing in Bersatu's set up either to suggest it was a carbon copy of the Malay-based party that led the former ruling government.

“So it is different from Umno as the party's foundations are not the same. (Prime Minister) Dr Mahathir Mohamad, when we were talking about the 21 years of Reformasi (movement), Tun said he was with Umno longer than that and yet left the party.

“So what I understand is Bersatu is not the same (as Umno). Tun, even as a former president, left the party and formed Bersatu,” she told reporters at a tea reception with the Penang PKR women's wing at Pantai Robina in Butterworth today.

Wan Azizah was asked if Bersatu could transform itself into an Umno-like party with goals and aspirations that differed to those espoused by the Pakatan Harapan coalition.

Meanwhile, asked on Mahathir's invitation to all Malay parties including Umno to join Bersatu in efforts to unite the Malays, Wan Azizah said this was because Bersatu, by its set-up itself, was a Malay-based party.

She said the invite was also to increase party membership and consolidate political power.

“However, I think PAS and Umno have already indicated that they are not interested (in the invitation to join Bersatu),” she said.

Speaking at the Johor Bersatu Aidilfitri open house in Johor Bahru yesterday,  Mahathir, who is Bersatu chairperson, invited all Malay parties including Umno to join the party, saying that he found more and more Malay parties were being formed which reduced the chances of them winning a general election. - Bernama