State polls: Selangor Bersatu set to welcome new faces, including ex-Umno leaders

KLANG: Selangor Bersatu is preparing to welcome new members into the party and some of the newbies are expected to contest in the upcoming state elections.

According to a Perikatan Nasional source, a group made-up of those who lost in the last Umno party election will be making their way into Bersatu soon.

“There are already a few Umno division leaders coming to Bersatu in addition to those who lost in the party polls,’’ said the source.

He added that Bersatu wanted to put up strong candidates in the state polls and some of those who will be coming in are credible names known to grassroots voters.

Perikatan is confident it can make a deep dent in Pakatan Harapan’s hold on Selangor or even take control of the state government if it had the right candidates, the source said.

While Selangor’s incumbent assemblymen are busy making plans to seize the day during the polls, three elected representatives who had had a good start after the 2018 polls are facing a bleak political future.

The three are former Bersatu members - Mohd Shaid Rosli, Sallehudin Amiruddin and Harumaini Omar - who left the party just before the Sheraton Move in 2020.

Mohd Shaid and Sallehudin are the incumbent Jeram and Kuang assemblymen, respectively, while Harumaini had been the Batang Kali assemblyman before he was ejected from the state legislative assembly for alleged absenteeism this February.

Both Mohd Shaid and Harumaini had moved on to Pejuang in solidarity with former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad whilst Sallehudin remained an independent until he joined Amanah last December.

When contacted, Mohd Shaid said he was unsure whether he would be defending his seat.

Even if he did, added Mohd Shaid, it would not be under the Pejuang banner.

“Although I am still a Pejuang member, I have decided to not represent any political party.

“I am currently with Tun Dr Mahathir in pursuing the Malay Proclamation initiative and if I can contest under this banner for Perikatan, it would be good," he said.

Mohd Shaid also said he had no regrets leaving Bersatu and joining Pejuang and eventually facing political uncertainty.

“At that time, we felt it was wrong for our party leadership to disregard the people’s mandate by initiating the Sheraton Move to topple the government of the day," he said.

According to Mohd Shaid, it cannot be denied that Perikatan was the choice of many voters in rural areas, such as his constituency of Jeram.

“But it is because PAS and Bersatu are coming together as a team to represent the Malays.

“I don’t think they will be so easily accepted if both came as individual parties without the Perikatan banner," he added.

Meanwhile, Sallehudin said he was prepared to defend his seat if the Amanah leadership gave him a chance.

However, he added that there was talk that Umno was also eyeing the Kuang seat.

“So, I really don’t know how it is going to end but I am prepared if the party leaders are willing to give me a chance," he said.