Untrue that Putra will be joining Perikatan at this time, says party sec-gen

PETALING JAYA: Parti Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia (Putra) has dismissed a report about it joining Perikatan Nasional, says the party's secretary-general Rosdi Idris.

He said the claim contradicted the decision made at Putra's supreme council meeting on March 7.

"The claim that Putra will be joining Perikatan to form the largest Malay bloc in the country did not arise at this time.

"It is also untrue that Putra will be changing its name to Gerakan Tanah Air (GTA) as the issue was never touched upon during our supreme council meeting," he said in a statement on Wednesday (March 15) following a report by Utusan Malaysia.

Rosdi added that any decision involving the party would only be disclosed after Putra's fourth annual general assembly scheduled for May 7, in line with the party president Datuk Ibrahim Ali's statement on March 3.

In the report quoting a source from Putra, it also said former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad would be its new president and that GTA would sit out the upcoming six state elections but support Perikatan.

Last month, Dr Mahathir joined Putra as an adviser after leaving Pejuang, which he formed in August 2020 after he was sacked from Bersatu following the Sheraton Move political coup.

Earlier this month, Pejuang, which was now headed by Dr Mahathir's son, Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir, announced that it had applied to join Perikatan to ensure unity among Malay voters.

Apart from Putra, the loose coalition of GTA, set up in August last year, also comprises Berjasa (Barisan Jemaah Islamiah Se-Malaysia or Pan-Malaysian Islamic Front) and Iman (Indian Muslim Alliance National Party).

In last November's general election, GTA lost in all 121 parliamentary seats it contested. The candidates also lost their deposits.