Ex-Puteri chief quits Umno

Ex-Puteri chief quits Umno, says party still in denial

Posted on 1 July 2018 - 11:47am
Last updated on 1 July 2018 - 02:11pm

G.Surach
newsdesk@thesundaily.com

Former Puteri Umno chief Datuk Mas Ermieyati — Sunpix by Shahrill Basri

PUTRAJAYA: Former Puteri Umno chief Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin (pix) has become the latest casualty for the Malay party following her decision to leave the party and turn independent effective, today.

In a statement, today, Mas who is also Masjid Tanah MP said her decision to become an independent lawmaker was due to the lack of new faces being elected to spearhead the party.

"June 30 was supposed to be the date where all Umno members are set to determine a new direction for the party. However, (following the election results) we continue to see reaction, sentiment and the actual behaviour of Umno members that still points at a denial syndrome.

"The hope of seeing Umno members elect at least 70% of new, fresh and vibrant faces at various levels of the party did not happen," she said.

The former deputy Tourism and Culture Minister opined that the present leadership is refusing to accept that the people have rejected Umno.

"Instead they continue to believe that Umno has solely become the victim of the people's hate against former premier Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak. The 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal has caused Malaysians to ridicule Umno," she said.

Questioning Umno's rehabilitation process, Mas said she honestly felt that the party has long deviated from its original purpose to point of being rejected by the Malay community.

"I joined Umno because it was the only party that the Malays depended on as a platform to bring up their struggles for their race and country harmoniously along with other races."

"Therefore, after serious consideration, it is time for me to step forward by focusing on my services as Masjid Tanah MP through parliamentary debates to safeguard the interest of my voters and ensure that their welfare and development are voiced out at the Dewan Rakyat," she said.

She said her decision to leave the party along with her supporters was made without any coercion or threats.

"As an Independent MP, I intend to play the check and balance role with the government by evaluating and questioning their decisions and policies.

"I hope as a former lawyer I will be able to give my best for Malaysians to ensure that the executive is constantly checked by an effective parliament," she added.

Mas' departure from the party leaves Umno with just 51 MPs. The Umno elections which was held yesterday was allegedly tainted with money politics.

In a statement by Women's Legal Council (Guamnita) chairman Azlinda Baroni, today, she claimed that the party elections was rigged with money politics.

"The rumours were that RM150,000 was distributed to each Umno division by candidate A while RM60,000 was distributed by candidate B during the party polls."