SHAH ALAM: The members and leadership of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) should learn the lesson from the party’s failure to win many seats in the 14th General Election (GE14) recently.
Bersatu chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said that this was because out of the 52 seats contested by candidates from the party, only 13 seats were won by the party.
“One of the reasons that we did not get a large number of elected representatives was because we are a new party and a new party would not be able to know many of the voters and the people.
“(But) We are now three years old, and if we work hard we will be able to retain our position as the ruling party in the country,” he said at the “Majlis Makan Malam Sejuta Kenangan” (One Million Memory Dinner) organised by the division leaders, leaders of the srikandi and Armada movements of Bersatu at the Setia City Convention Centre, here tonight.
Also present at the dinner were Dr Mahathir’s wife, Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali; Bersatu Deputy President Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir; Vice-President Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman and Datuk Abdul Rashid Ansari; Armada Youth leader Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman and other party leaders.
Thus, Dr Mahathir, who is also the Prime Minister, said every Bersatu divisional leader must work harder to increase the number of party membership as this would enable the party to ensure support from the voters in the next general election.
“Followers are important because in party politics we need support from the members. In the general election too, we need much energy to carry out party work. If it (membership) is not enough, it is difficult for us to achieve victory,” he said.
Meanwhile, Dr Mahathir said every contribution channelled into any political party must be through the official party account and issued with receipts.
He said it was a new regulation that must be adhered to because it was acknowledged that all political parties needed funds to carry out the various programs to win the general election. – Bernama