He said Umno is already “damaged”.

“Perhaps he has realised it only now but it is a bit too late. He should have realised it earlier.

“Only now he wants to quit the party. That’s okay,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the Malaysia Franchise Awards 2018 here tonight.

Asked on his views whether Mustapa, fondly known as Tok Pa, would want to join Pakatan Harapan, he replied that it was up to the Umno veteran leader, but “he has to prove that he has changed”.

Tok Pa had earlier announced that he was quitting the party after four decades, saying the direction Umno is heading is not in line with his principles.

“The party has not made any effort to convince me that it is rejuvenating itself,” the former international trade and industry minister said in a statement.

Mustapa, who is the Kelantan Barisan Nasional chairman, said for him, Umno should be an “inclusive and moderate” party which takes the middle ground.

Umno, the Jeli MP added, should champion the Bumiputera cause and that of Islam, without sidelining the interests of other races and religions in the country.