His departure is seen by a few analysts as a pivot to the right by UMNO, to please the more conservative members within the party. However, he did not elaborate further on this.
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Penang Umno is not shocked by the former supreme council member Saifuddin Abdullah joining PKR, adding that it was long overdue.
The opposition has welcomed Mr Saifuddin’s defection with open arms, with PKR President Wan Azizah Wan Ismail saying that they would be able to benefit from his experience with youths and civil society groups. “I think he can very easily be put anywhere”, she told reporters after launching the “RM26 for Change” donation drive at the PKR headquarters in Kuala Lumpur today.
“I want to build this country through institutional change … this is not discussed comprehensively in Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) … till it reached a point where I don’t feel compatible with Umno and BN anymore”, he said.
He reiterated the last straw was Umno and Putrajaya’s handling of 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal and the RM2.6 billion deposited into Najib’s personal accounts.
With this latest move, the former Temerloh MP will quit his CEO post in the Global Movement of Moderates (GMM).
Dr Wan Azizah said Saifuddin’s entry into the party would inject new spirit into PKR and further strenghthen it.
“I believe the more he and Umno leaders use that kind of argument, the more people will understand why I left Umno”.
“I am disappointed that Saifuddin joined PKR”.
Despite his popularity with urban Malaysians, he lost his seat at the 2013 general election to PAS’s Nasrudin Hassan.
Saifuddin was recently issued a show-cause letter by Umno after he attended a roundtable discussion of the opposition parties at Empire Hotel in Subang on Sept 21, according to The Star Online.
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He was however optimistic that Saifuddin’s action would bring a positive impact to UMNO.
