Attracting non-Bumis will be a tall order for Bersatu: Tengku Razaleigh

KUALA LUMPUR: It will not be easy for Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) to attract non-bumiputeras as the party does not grant them voting rights, said veteran politician Tan Sri Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah (pix).
"Anyone who joins a party would want voting rights and if (Bersatu) only accepts them as associate members with no voting rights, I think it is hard for the party to attract the non-bumis.
"This party must have an attraction for all races, especially the younger generation as they are more open minded," Tengku Razaleigh said when met by the media after he officiated the Malay & Chinese Cultural Fair at the Museum of Asian Art in University Malaya here.
Tengku Razaleigh was instrumental in the formation of Umno splinter party Semangat 46 in 1988 when he and his supporters within Umno mounted a leadership challenge against Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
The party was disbanded in 1996 and many of its members including Tengku Razaleigh eventually rejoined Umno.
The application to form Bersatu was submitted by former deputy prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on Tuesday.
Muhyiddin said the new party was formed with the objective of defending the rights of all Malaysians.
Mahathir will be the chairman of Bersatu while Muhyiddin will be its president.
Meanwhile, Tengku Razaleigh called for the government to consider signing the Unesco Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural property.
He said the convention came into force in 1972 where it is the first international instrument dedicated to the fight against illicit trafficking of cultural property.
"If Malaysia signs this treaty, it would help to reduce the robbery and smuggling of ancient products in this country.
"Now is the time for us to participate as more than 131 countries have joined this treaty," he said.