Ex Bersatu Man Accused Of Sour Grapes After Polls Loss

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Selangor Bersatu deputy chief Rafiq Abdullah (left) said Mahathir Rais should ‘just look for a party that’s right for him or start his own instead of making noise’.
PETALING JAYA: A Bersatu leader has dismissed criticisms of the party and Perikatan Nasional by former colleague Mahathir Rais, and claimed that the latter was merely acting up after suffering losses at the recent Bersatu elections.
Selangor Bersatu deputy chief Rafiq Abdullah said Mahathir failed to defend his post as the head of the Segambut division, and lost the race for a spot on the 20-member Supreme Council.
Mahathir, the federal territories secretary of Bersatu and Perikatan Nasional, later resigned from the party.
“He left because he was disappointed after losing his division chief’s post. So now he’s issuing statements (attacking Bersatu and PN) to cover up his own failure to win grassroots support,” Rafiq told FMT.
“He should just look for a party that’s right for him or start his own instead of making noise,” said Rafiq, who was also defeated in the race for the Bersatu vice-presidency in November.
In a statement yesterday, Mahathir claimed Bersatu had strayed from its original struggle and principles, particularly on fighting corruption.
He previously expressed disappointment over the support of several PN leaders for former prime minister Najib Razak’s efforts to serve the remainder of his jail term under house arrest.
Mahathir also claimed PN leaders were divided by personal ambitions, and that the opposition coalition was desperate to seize power but had no real vision.
He said PN needed to work on becoming a government-in-waiting with alternative policies and a clear, capable leader in order to inspire the people’s confidence. - FMT

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