UMNO Johor has described former Supreme Council member Datuk Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi’s appearance at a Pakatan Harapan (PH) campaign event as a personal decision following his departure from the party.
Johor UMNO deputy chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan said Puad’s presence at the PH ceramah would not have a significant impact on UMNO’s support base, as he believed party members remained firmly loyal.
He added that any possible effect would likely be limited to a small number of undecided voters rather than core UMNO supporters.
“We do not see Mohd Puad as having a strong influence that can sway voters, especially in DUN Rengit or Johor as a whole,” he said when met in Kampung Sungai Naga on Sunday.
“UMNO members remain with UMNO. They will not follow what he has done after leaving the party, allegedly due to dissatisfaction over his son not being selected as a BN candidate for DUN Benut,” he added.
Puad, who left UMNO last week, was previously seen attending a PH programme in Felda Ulu Tebrau, Johor Bahru, where he also declared support for PH candidate Mohamad Yazid Bakri in Rengit for the Johor state election.
At the same event, he was seen greeting and embracing PH chairman and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim during the youth dialogue programme.
Ahmad, who is also an UMNO Supreme Council member, said he was surprised by the large turnout at a campaign centre in the Rengit constituency.
He noted that many attendees were not in official party attire, which he said indicated support for BN candidate Zaidi Japar remained strong on the ground.
He further said Puad’s influence would be minimal as his actions went against UMNO’s principles.
The Rengit seat in the Johor election sees a three-cornered fight involving candidates from BN, Perikatan Nasional (PN) and PH.
