This Is What BN Leaders Will Say If You Ever Decide To Leave Them
Saifuddin forsakes BN because of its poor handling of the 1MDB and RM2.6 billion issues.
By Nandini Balakrishnan — 16 Oct 2015, 08:24 PM
Saifuddin Abdullah, former UMNO supreme council member changed allegiance by joining opposition party PKR yesterday, 15 October
PKR president Wan Azizah, Saifuddin Abdullah and other party members during the news conference announcing Saifuddin's move to PKR
Image via The Malaysian InsiderSaifuddin was the BN's Temerloh MP from 2008 till 2013. In the 13th general election in 2013, he lost his Temerloh seat to PAS candidate Nasrudin Hassan.
Citing dissatisfaction over Barisan's handling of the 1MDB scandal and the RM2.6 billion issue that PM Najib Razak has been plagued with, Saifuddin left the ruling party.
While changing allegiance for politicians is hardly uncommon, Saifuddin's switch to PKR has garnered some emotionally charged comments from dissatisfied Barisan leaders:
We don't want all this rubbish in UMNO, says UMNO secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor
"Saifuddin has been with us and used to be an MP for Temerloh. We put him in the last round and he lost. There must be some problem with him," the federal minister said in Putrajaya.
"Even the rakyat of Temerloh don't want him, so you (PKR) can take him. We don't want him. We don't want all this rubbish in UMNO. UMNO has no affect by him (Saifuddin) leaving. God bless him and God bless PKR" Tengku Adnan added sarcastically.
themalaysianinsider.com
"Hopefully these viruses in the party that are becoming thorns will continue to be accepted by PKR of the Harapan Baru gang," was UMNO Youth executive committee member Armand Azha Abu Hanifah response to Saifuddin's switch
In a Facebook posting today, Armand "congratulated" PKR for accepting Saifuddin, adding that the former deputy minister has been deemed to be a thorn in the flesh for UMNO.
While the opposition accepts these former UMNO leaders, Armand said, UMNO will continue with it's cleansing and revitalising process.
malaysiakini.com
"I will never join a party led by a convicted sexual offender," said Gerakan Youth chief Tan Keng Liang, slamming Pakatan's de-facto leader Anwar Ibrahim over his sodomy charges
Following Saifuddin's sudden move to PKR, a Twitter used was quick to ask Tan about his plans on joining PKR which sparked this remark from the youth chief.
"When will Tan Keng Liang join PKR?" was what a Twitter asked Tan after Saifuddin Abdullah's sudden move to PKR
Image via Twitter
This remark was made less than hour after UMNO's Saifuddin Abdullah officially announced that he has joined PKR
Image via Tan Keng Liang/TwitterSaifuddin is an insincere UMNO member, says deputy home minister Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed
Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah’s decision to leave Umno for PKR showed that he had thrown in the towel in fighting for change from within the ruling party, deputy home minister Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed said today.
“I think he’s given up fighting from inside. By moving over to the other side, he’s also proven that he’s never been a sincere Umno member,” Nur Jazlan, who is also Pulai Umno division chief, told Malay Mail Online.
He(Saifuddin) said he wanted to build the country through institutional reforms, an issue which he said was not discussed comprehensively in Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) but was taken up by newly formed opposition pact, Pakatan Harapan.
themalaymailonline.com
Meanwhile, UMNO's MyKMU.net blog is grateful that Saifuddin left the party, dubbing the move as a "blessing in disguise"
"His ideological slant concerning liberal Islam and Malay is in line with the leadership of (PKR de facto leader) Anwar Ibrahim.
"The UMNO grassroots were hoping he would leave the party due to his liberal views whereas PKR needs Saifuddin as a good orator and strategist," it added.
"Umno, which adheres to the path of moderation in religious and race issues, is no longer suitable for Saifuddin's liberal mindset.
"Thank you Saifuddin, for saving Umno," MyKMU said.
malaysiakini.com
One the contrary to these Barisan leaders, one BN politician wished Saifuddin well on his decision to join PKR:
I wish Dato @saifuddinabd the best in his new political endeavor. This is a long overdue decision which everyone anticipated. Goodluck.
— Abdul Rahman Dahlan (@mpkotabelud) October 15, 2015
Abdul Rahman Dahlan is BN's strategic communication director.
While BN politicians are up in arms about Saifuddin's party hop, Saifuddin has been receiving a warm welcome from Pakatan leaders:
PKR president Wan Azizah thinks Saifuddin will be an "asset" to the opposition party
Saifuddin joined PKR yesterday, prompting Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor to describe him a liability and "rubbish".
"That's his opinion. He can say whatever he wants. For us, he (Saifuddin) is an asset," Wan Azizah told reporters at the PKR headquarters today.
She also said the idea of fielding the former Temerloh MP for the seat again under a PKR ticket is "somewhere on the cards".
She said, however, that the party would like to avoid three-cornered fights if possible.
themalaysianinsider.com
My prayers have been answered, adds PKR Youth deputy chief Dr Afif Bahardin
He expressed hope that more reform-minded individuals with strong idealism and principles like Saifuddin will join PKR.
Afif said the former Temerloh MP’s views are more coherent with PKR’s struggles to bring about reform and political changes for a better Malaysia.
“We hope Saifuddin will share his view and experiences so that they can guide us in this journey. I believe our members would appreciate his contribution to the party,” he added.
malaysiakini.com
Rumours about Saifuddin's move to the opposition party have been circulating for the past month, after he attended a Pakatan gathering on 24 August
The move was criticised by many UMNO leaders that urged the party officials to take legal actions against Saifuddin for attending an opposition organised event.
After the Pakatan Harapan session Tuesday, Umno’s Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said Saifuddin would face action for attending the session as Umno leaders should not been seen attending or endorsing any opposition party or agenda.
Several Umno supporters online have since called for Saifuddin to be sacked from the party, using the hashtag #PecatSaifuddin.
themalaymailonline.com
However, Tan Sri Megat Najmuddin Megat Khas (UMNO Discipline Tribunal chairman), based on his observation, said that there is nothing wrong for any UMNO member to attend any function organised by other parties.