KUALA LUMPUR – Ketereh Umno division chief Tan Sri Annuar Musa has finally fired back at critics, saying, “I am not a ‘pondan’. I am not a political ‘pondan’.”
“When it comes to fighting, Annuar Musa can fight. I’ve fought Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, I’ve fought against Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.
“When it comes to fighting, Annuar Musa is not a bad fighter,” he told party detractors.
Speaking at the Ketereh division meeting, Annuar, who is also the federal territories minister, was responding to attacks from his own party members and leaders.
His detractors often accused Annuar of favouring Bersatu president and Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s administration over his own party.
Of late, some Umno leaders and warlords have outright told Annuar to leave Umno and join Bersatu after he remained adamant in defending the Perikatan Nasional (PN) administration.
Johor Umno deputy chairman Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed has said the party’s leadership and grassroots have already rejected Annuar for his stance on Bersatu.
However, up until today’s speech, Annuar had neither retaliated nor replied directly to his critics.
Today, he said there is always a time and place for him to fight and show his courage, but he will not do it on the “street”.
He added that he has been attacked many times during Umno Supreme Council meetings, but it is neither his style nor is it “classy” for him to turn those meetings into a battleground.
“In a household, we must show to outsiders that we are harmonious. We can show our bravery and courage, but there’s a place for it. In politics, we must be wise as to when we show our courage because otherwise the nation will suffer the consequences.
“Don’t ever try to take me for granted as far as politics is concerned, I’m a man of my own. I have my own principles and when the time comes, I will stand by them.”
He said to his division grassroots that the reason he steadfastly defended Muhyiddin’s party is due to the Supreme Council meeting in October, where it was decided that Umno would back the PN administration en bloc.
He added that there have been no meetings since then to mark a change in the party’s stance or whether they will work with Parti Keadilan Rakyat president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim or Umno’s long-time nemesis – DAP.
He added that although it is all right to have differences in opinion between party members and leaders, it is critical that party solidarity is maintained or Umno will go through another defeat in the next general election due to disunity and infighting.
He warned that those were the reasons Umno lost the 2018 general election and Pakatan Harapan fell after only 22 months in power.
“Don’t tell me you said this is what the grassroots want. Pekan division chief Datuk Seri Najib Razak is not a grassroots member, neither is Bagan Datuk division chief Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi or Pasir Salak division chief Datuk Seri Tajuddin Rahman.
“These are party leaders. They are not grassroots members. And we can’t just be concerned about what our grassroots want. What about our voters who outnumber our grassroots?
“Have we thought about what they want, and will they still support us if we leave PN in the next election?” he asked.
Annuar reiterated that he is loyal to the party’s struggle and is the only member of Dr Mahathir’s previous Barisan Nasional cabinet who did not leave the party to form Bersatu before the 2018 general election.
He said that his membership number is 000124, making him the 124th individual to have joined Umno and help resurrect the party after it was deemed illegal by the Registrar of Societies in the 1980s.
“My record also shows I am not obsessed with any single individual. I left Tengku Razaleigh when he left the party. I am the sole member of Dr Mahathir’s cabinet who did not join him, even though my fellow cabinet members did. However, I’ve never forgotten Dr Mahathir’s kindness to me,” he said. – The Vibes January 2, 2021
