Umno has lost all ambition to lead the government, whether at the federal level or in Selangor, said former Selangor menteri besar Khir Toyo in explaining his decision to join Bersatu.
Khir, who served as menteri besar from 2000 to 2008, confirmed that he was accepted into Bersatu on July 1.
He said Umno had become merely a supplementary party, lacking the ambition to return to power.
“In Selangor, for example, they were only allowed to contest 12 state seats (in the August 2023 state election). How is it possible to become a menteri besar with only 12 seats, even if you win them all?” he asked.
The former Umno Supreme Council member also believes that the party will not be allocated enough parliamentary seats in the next general election (GE16).
“At the federal level, I think Umno will be given fewer than 40 seats. Even if it wins all of them, can it regain the prime minister’s post?
“That’s why Umno is now just a ‘supplementary’ party, no longer dominant like before,” he said.
Khir told FMT he had met Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin and secretary-general Azmin Ali before deciding to join the party, adding that his decision was made “maturely and thoughtfully”.
The former Sungai Panjang assemblyman also dismissed suggestions that he joined Bersatu out of frustration or bitterness.
“I’m not disappointed, I’ve already reached a high position as a menteri besar and I have no ambition to helm that post again,” he said.
Khir said it was important for a political party to have clear aspirations to lead the government.
“I just want to help a party that has the ambition to become the government. I’m not looking to be a menteri besar again. We must give way to others, but the party must have ambition.
“If you want to help the Malays, you must have power,” he said.
Since 2008, PKR has led the Selangor government through Pakatan Rakyat and now Pakatan Harapan, after the Barisan Nasional state administration fell out of power under Khir’s leadership.
Khir, a former three-term assemblyman, was sentenced to a year in prison in 2015 for abuse of power over the purchase of land and a bungalow and was released on parole after serving six months.
He attempted a political comeback in the 15th general election, announcing his intention to contest the Sungai Besar parliamentary seat.
However, BN decided to nominate Sungai Besar Umno chief Jamal Yunos as its candidate instead. Jamal came up third-best in the four-cornered contest, with Bersatu’s Muslimin Yahaya winning the seat with a 2,721-vote majority.
