Bung Moktar Radin, an Umno supreme council member, said Syed Saddiq’s appointment gave the impression that PPBM lacked quality leaders.
“Although he speaks fluently, he does not have the necessary political experience. He is far from understanding the pulse of the people,” said Bung Moktar, who is MP for Kinabatangan.
“For me PPBM is not an alternative party that could threaten the influence of Umno. Umno has its own strengths,” he told FMT, in commenting on the apparent turmoil within PPBM after the appointment of the party’s leadership.
A founding member, Khairuddin Abu Hassan, announced his decision to quit the party recently to focus on his ongoing court cases, while newly-appointed vice-president Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman is viewed by some as a controversial figure.
Life member Zaeinal Abidin Omar had also expressed disappointment with the appointment of Rashid, who was once chairman of the Election Commission.
Zaeinal had also said that most of those in the leadership were new people who had been silent while others such as Khairuddin, former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad, and former deputy prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin had fought hard against Prime Minister Najib Razak’s administration.
Bung said the squabbles gave the impression that PPBM, regarded as an Umno splinter party, might not last long.
“The party has not started their operations but are already facing problems. Some members are bashing their leaders for not choosing a good line-up. In short, PPBM might be like other Umno splinter parties that do not last long because they fought on the basis of revenge and hatred,” he said.
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