KOTA BARU: Internal issue among Umno members has caused its supporters to turn to another party, says Tan Sri Annuar Musa.
The former Ketereh member of parliament said the people could not stand with how Umno played its cards in politics.
"Everyone wants to see Umno emphasise being a clean party, but it (instead) prioritises individuals. Who is going to support that?
"Some might not want to vote for Pakatan Harapan, but they also don't want to vote for Barisan Nasional. So in the end, Perikatan Nasional became their only choice.
"Everyone was surprised to see PN winning a lot of seats during the 15th General Election," he said in a speech.
During GE15, PN won a total of 73 parliamentary seats behind PH with 82 seats.
PN also snatched the Padang Serai parliament constituency from PH when the former's candidate Datuk Azman Nasrudin won with 51,367 votes.
Speaking to some 300 Ketereh Umno supporters, Annuar said he planned to strengthen Muafakat Nasional (MN) as a charity body.
"I was selected as MN chairman recently and from now on, Kelantan Poverty Foundation building will be turned into MN's office.
"MN is not a political party but a charity organisation for everyone, regardless of what race they are. Several NGOs, corporate bodies, and well-known individuals have joined it as members.
"We will provide whatever assistance needed by the people, especially the poor," he said.