PUTRAJAYA: Datuk Ibrahim Ali has described Jeli Member of Parliament Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed’s action to join Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) as a move that would not impact the political scenario in Kelantan.
Parti Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia (Putra) pro-temp president said he would have expected Mustapa, fondly known as Tok Pa, to be the last person to leave Umno after it lost the 14th general election (GE14).
“I was surprised by Tok Pa’s decision to join Bersatu (PPBM). Everyone knows him as he has been in Umno for so long. Many view him as a clean person, but when he jumps ship, it gives a different impression.
“His move to join PPBM does not have any effect on Kelantan politics because when he headed Umno in the state, Umno seats did not grow, (and) instead continued to decline,” he told reporters after meeting the Registrar of Societies (RoS) today.
On a different matter, Ibrahim said his side was upbeat that RoS would approve Putra’s registration the latest by the end of November.
He said several matters, including those involved Putra’s constitution, were being fine-tuned to ensure a smooth process to register the party.
“Under the Barisan Nasional (BN) government, it only took a month. So, under the Pakatan Harapan it should be faster,” he said.
Mustapa, popularly known as Tok pa, had announced his decision to leave Umno on Sept 18 and became an independent MP.
He then submitted a membership form to PPBM president Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in Petaling Jaya recently.