No Umno members have applied to join PKR so far, says comms director

PETALING JAYA: There have not been any applications received from former or current Umno leaders to join PKR, says party communications director Lee Chean Chung (pic).

He said applications from leaders affiliated with Umno would be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

"Usually, for high-profile people, it will be vetted at the central committee level," he said when contacted

"It is (a) delicate (matter). So, it's better to take a prudent approach," he added.

Lee also said PKR was taking a neutral stance on possibly accepting leaders affiliated with Umno.

Meanwhile, other top PKR leaders remained tight-lipped about the possibility.

PKR central committee member Datuk Abdullah Sani Abdul Hamid said there had been no discussion on the matter so far.

"I reserve my comments, because I'm concentrating on the present PKR members," added Abdullah Sani.

Earlier on Monday (Jan 30), former Umno supreme council member Datuk Zahidi Zainul Abidin said he would apply to join PKR in February along with 100 Padang Besar Umno division members.

Zahidi also said some leaders are contemplating joining Perikatan Nasional as they were dissatisfied with the recent sacking of certain Umno leaders.

Last November, Zahidi was sacked from Umno after standing as an independent candidate in GE15 after being dropped as a candidate by his former party.

Zahidi failed to defend his Padang Besar seat and even lost his deposit, garnering just 1,939 votes in a five-cornered fight that was won by Perikatan candidate Rushdan Rusmi.