Universiti Malaya’s Tawfik Yaakub said the party should no longer appoint former Umno leaders to leadership positions in the party.
Tawfik was referring to the party’s new Supreme Council lineup, announced last Saturday, which included former Umno leader Noh Omar.
Former Umno vice-president and ex-Melaka chief minister Rahim Thamby Chik, who was elected the Alor Gajah Bersatu chief at the party polls last year, was also recently appointed the party’s new state chief.
Meanwhile, former Putrajaya Umno deputy chief Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz was made Bersatu’s information chief.
“Bersatu needs to stop appointing former Umno leaders, or risk being labelled a party of Umno runaways and veterans, a party for leaders who have become irrelevant or for those who no longer have positions in Umno.
“Otherwise, Bersatu’s political image will in the long term replicate that of Umno’s,” said Tawfik.
He said this could also cause discontent among Bersatu’s pioneer members.
“This dissatisfaction has especially been apparent after elected representatives and party leaders shifted their support and left the party,” he said.
Bersatu was established in 2016 with the primary aim of replacing Umno as the platform for championing the Malay struggle, especially in light of dissatisfaction with Umno’s handling of issues like the 1MDB scandal.
At the time, several Umno leaders and members crossed over to form the party, led by former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, its co-founder.
Lack of depth
Meanwhile, National Professors Council fellow Azmi Hassan said Bersatu’s continued appointment of former Umno leaders showed a lack of depth within its ranks.
He said Bersatu had taken a shortcut by appointing well-known politicians, even though some among them had been embroiled in controversy while with Umno.
“Bersatu has failed to groom new leaders outside the Umno bubble. The easy way for the party has been to take well-known leaders who left Umno due to dissatisfaction.
“Grooming a leader from within the party takes time. (The appointment of outsiders) proves the party lacks succession planning,” he said.