He said several leaders in Bersatu’s associate wing had contacted Santhara when it was revealed that he was joining Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM).

“Santhara didn’t explain (why he left) to them, but he was a gentleman. He told them to remain in Bersatu and to support me as leader of the associate wing,” Chong told FMT.

He said Santhara, who is the Segamat MP and deputy tourism minister, had also asked members of the associate wing to go all-out in winning the support of non-Malays.

Chong admitted that Santhara’s departure was a surprise because he had previously promised to stay in the party after resigning as the associate wing’s chief.

“He vacated the position to focus more on his constituency, so his decision to leave the party was surprising.

“Nevertheless, we respect his decision. His departure does not affect Bersatu’s efforts to gain the support of non-Malays, so we will focus on moving forward for the upcoming general election (GE15),” he said.

He also said no one else from the associate wing would be leaving the party.

Chong did not dismiss the possibility of working with Santhara in the future if PBM championed the same causes and political beliefs as Bersatu.

“Even if we don’t see eye to eye with other parties, they are just rivals on the political field. This isn’t war. We can still be friends,” he said.

On Saturday, PBM’s president-designate Zuraida Kamaruddin announced that Santhara and Kuala Langat MP Dr Xavier Jayakumar have joined her party.

Zuraida, Santhara and Xavier won their seats in the 14th general election as PKR members.