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He said there were many reasons for the parting of ways, such as the establishment of Bersatu in 2016, which he said had led to the Umno-led Barisan Nasional losing power in the 2018 general election.
Ahmad said Umno was no longer working with Bersatu and everyone was aware of this, as it had been raised at the party’s general assembly last year, Utusan Malaysia reported.
Bersatu (Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia) was formed by former Umno leaders such as Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Muhyiddin Yassin, Mukhriz Mahathir and their followers. The party was a member of the Pakatan Harapan coalition which won power in the 2018 general election.
Ahmad said Bersatu’s actions in enticing Umno state assemblymen and MPs to defect has made it difficult for both parties to work together.
“They gave incentives to those who jumped (to Bersatu); for example, some were given positions. Of the 31 seats that Bersatu has in the Dewan Rakyat, six are their original seats, 10 from the group of former PKR members led by Gombak MP Azmin Ali, and 15 were from Umno.”
Ahmad said Bersatu had been established with the intention of replacing Umno’s position in national politics and the party had adopted many of Umno’s characteristics.
“They also used our slogan and colours,” he said, giving the example of the word
bersatu, which is part of Umno’s motto of “Bersatu, Bersetia, Berkhidmat”.
Ahmad said he did not feel that other opposition parties would work with Bersatu as they have different goals.
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