PETALING JAYA, Oct 16 — Former Umno member Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah may be “rubbish” to Barisan Nasional (BN) but he is a valuable asset to PKR, the opposition party’s president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said today.

Dr Wan Azizah was replying to the description given to its newest member by Umno and BN secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor yesterday, after Saifuddin crossed the political fence to join PKR.

“That’s his opinion, but to us he is an asset,” Dr Wan Azizah told reporters here.

Tengku Adnan had disparaged Saifuddin’s departure from Umno, insisting the former deputy minister of higher education’s decision to quit would not have any effect on the ruling party in the next general elections.

The Federal Territories minister also told reporters yesterday that he was glad the former Umno supreme council member had decided to leave, noting he had lost his seat in Election 2013.

“Saifuddin has been with us and used to be an MP in Temerloh. We put him in the last round and he lost. There must be some problem with him.

“Even the people of Temerloh don’t want him, so you can take him. We don’t want him. We don’t want all this rubbish in Umno,” he told reporters when approached yesterday.

Saifuddin had previously insisted that he was an Umno member for life but announced he was joining PKR in a news conference yesterday, after being spotted attending several opposition events, which had even landed him with a recent show-cause letter.

He had defended his decision to switch sides as being more aligned with the multi racial ideology that PKR practises.