Umno open to returning members, says Zahid
Umno welcomes former members like Tok Pa
NIBONG TEBAL - Umno President Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi says his party is open to the return of any former member, including former Umno veteran Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed.
“We have a disciplinary board and protocol bureau to review their applications.
"I reckon anyone who wishes to return to Umno is welcome to apply,” he said in reference to Mustapa, also known as Tok Pa.
Last week, Bersatu President Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said he did not know that Mustapa had left the party after retiring from politics.
Muhyiddin said he respected the decision by the former lawmaker but stated his belief that Mustapa was still a popular figure among voters.
Mustapa left Umno and joined Bersatu in 2018.
Muhyiddin also reportedly believed that Mustapa did not plan on joining any other party but left Bersatu to fully exit from politics.
Earlier today, the Deputy Prime Minister attended a state-level pre-Tahfiz programme at Perda-Tech here.
The Bagan Datuk MP said he hoped the potential voters present at the event would fully support Pakatan Harapan (PH) Sungai Bakap by-election candidate Dr Joohari Ariffin to win in the polls.
The Sungai Bakap by-election sees a straight fight between Joohari and Perikatan Nasional's Abidin Ismail.
On a separate matter, despite Malaysia dropping seven places in the world competitiveness rankings from 27th to 34th between 2023 and 2024, Zahid praised the increasing rate of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Malaysia, particularly in the first quarter of the current year.
“Investors see the potential of the country through political stability and the ability to approve certain projects, especially in allocating funds for factories and industrial areas.
"Trust in governing bodies such as MITI (Ministry of Investment, Trade, and Industry) also plays a role.
"MITI and the Finance Ministry are working on clarifying the relevant transmissions with other ministries. I believe the economy will continue to improve,” Zahid added.
Recent International Institute for Management Development (IMD) World Competitiveness Ranking report revealed that Malaysia dropped seven spots to 34th out of 67 countries this year, with declines in nearly all factors including economic performance, as well as government and business efficiency.
Malaysia also dropped four rungs to 10th out of 14 countries in the Asia-Pacific region, and for the first time are lagging behind both Indonesia and Thailand in the rankings.
