No point returning to 'irrelevant' party, says Annuar

Former BN secretary-general Annuar Musa has questioned the relevance of returning to Umno, deeming the party irrelevant and damaged by its leaders.

In a statement last night, Annuar (above) urged those considering other options to reflect on their decisions.

"We need to ask ourselves why we need to support a party that is clearly damaged by its leaders, irrelevant, and rejected by the public," said the former Ketereh MP.

Annuar's statement came after Umno supreme council member Jalaluddin Alias said the party was ready to accept leaders and members who were removed after the last general election.

Jalaluddin said the party was willing to offer a second chance to leaders and members who remain loyal and still believe in the party's struggle.

Last year, Annuar, who had been an Umno member from 1972 to 2022, submitted his application to join PAS.

Among top Umno leaders whose membership was terminated were former ministers Khairy Jamaluddin, Noh Omar, and former supreme council member Isham Jalil.

The party also suspended the membership of former minister Hishammuddin Hussein and former information chief Shahril Hamdan.

Isham, in an earlier response to Jalaluddin, called the party desperate, stating that the second chance announcement was because Umno would be badly defeated in many seats in future elections.

Not what it used to be

Annuar also pointed out that currently, Umno is neither democratic nor rational.

"It is clear that their political sense is being slowly castrated. When UiTM is labelled as apartheid, they remain silent," he chided, seemingly dismissing the campaign of Umno Youth leader Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh on the issue.

He said it is not surprising that the party is now acting as a device to shield its current leaders, as it is no longer clear who is in charge and who is the friend or enemy.

Instead of addressing issues like taxes, bills, and the decreasing ringgit value, Annuar claimed that party members are busy justifying their leaders' actions.

With the party no longer what it used to be, Annuar said it is no wonder that many of its divisions have been abandoned, failed, or refused to hold meetings.

He noted that millions of party supporters changed their allegiance during the general election, and members are now open about not following the leaders' steps to “lick” others.

"For sure, those who left will never return," he reiterated.

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