Amier, who is also Perlis PH chief, said while PPBM accepted regular folk and select Umno members, it did not want to import former Umno leaders for fear that they would taint the party.
Ismail, who is the younger brother of Perlis Umno chief Shahidan Kassim, quit Umno and BN last night, citing a loss of confidence in its leaders.
Speaking to FMT, Amier questioned the timing of Ismail’s move.
“The question that ought to be asked to Ismail is, why join now? Why didn’t you do so before the general election?
“If we take former Umno leaders in, we will be allowing the Umno disease to spread in the party. It would be also unfair to our other PH partners.
“I leave it to the central party leadership to decide on Ismail’s decision to join PPBM,” he told FMT.
Amier said Ismail’s move might also spur other Umno leaders to join PPBM in order to “save their skins” as they had been left powerless after the May 9 election.
“These Umno leaders were living like kings, and now have resorted to living like paupers. Of course they will find ways to continue living in the old ways,” he said.
He also repeated the call for fresh polls in the state, to give Perlis voters a chance to change their minds following the menteri besar crisis which arose after the general election.
Perlis Umno had previously opposed the palace’s decision to appoint Azlan Man, also an Umno man, as menteri besar for a second term as it had reportedly wanted Ismail to be given the post.
The situation was only resolved a month after the polls, with the state executive councillors appointed last week.
BN had won 10 out of 15 seats in the assembly, with nine of the seats won by Umno and one by MCA. The other five seats were won by PKR (three) and PAS (two).
Ismail’s departure from Umno has left the party with nine members in the 15-member state assembly, down from the previous 10.
This is one short of the number needed for a two-thirds’ majority at the assembly.