Pakatan Harapan (PH) will not accept Umno into its fold, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said yesterday.
The Prime Minister said Umno members can join PH component parties if they individually quit their own party first.
However, he said he will not entertain any talk of Umno joining forces with PH.
“If they (Umno) want to work with PKR, no way we will accept them into Pakatan Harapan (as a component party).
“But if they individually join as party members of PKR, Bersatu, DAP, or whatever, then we can accept them, but not the party,” he told a press conference.
Dr Mahathir was asked about the possibility of Umno working together with PKR and return back as government.
On Thursday, Umno leader Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz urged his party to stay out of the Port Dickson by-election, as this would ruin a purported plan by Umno MPs to try and get back into government by forming an alliance with any party capable of getting them there.
The Padang Rengas MP said it would be unwise for Umno to sour ties with Anwar and PKR by contesting the seat, as the party is currently the biggest party in the ruling coalition.
“That is fine (for Nazri to support Anwar). Maybe Umno will field a candidate against Anwar, and Nazri is going to support Anwar… We don’t know lah where he is,” Dr Mahathir quipped.
Nazri had also said that the “majority of Umno MPs” had signed a statutory declaration (SD) empowering its president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to negotiate with other political parties outside of BN, including PH parties and PAS, to once again assume federal power.
Dr Mahathir also laughed off a claim by PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang that a PH party would be joining the opposition soon.
“They are the opposition now. He said one PH party will join PAS? Is he kidding?” asked Dr Mahathir.