KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 21 — Umno will require all applications from former members in Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) seeking to return to the party to be vetted by its supreme working council, as the debate over defections intensifies amid Bersatu’s deepening internal crisis.

According to The Star, Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan said any re-entry bid falls squarely within the council’s jurisdiction because it touches on national-level party policy. 

“If there are applications from Bersatu members to rejoin Umno, the final decision must be made by the council,” he said. 

“This is a national issue involving party policies and the positions of party members. 

The council is scheduled to meet next Thursday (February 26), and I will raise this matter there.”

Ahmad stressed that Umno’s focus remained on consolidating its own base rather than relying on instability in rival parties. 

“Umno remains committed to strengthening the party’s position based on its own strengths, not on the weaknesses of others,” he added, as reported by the national daily. 

He was speaking after officiating at the handover of the Rural and Regional Development Ministry’s Prosperous Homes Programme in Kampung Baru Parit Lapis Sayang, Benut, yesterday.

The remarks come a day after Johor Umno urged Bersatu members in the state to “return to the original platform of the Malay struggle”, following turmoil that saw 11 Bersatu divisions announce their dissolution. 

Johor Bahru Umno chief Datuk Yahya Jaafar said the call aligned with the party’s Rumah Bangsa initiative, introduced by Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, which seeks to regroup Malay political strength under what he described as stable and trusted leadership.

Ahmad, who is also Johor Umno deputy chairman, separately acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding the post of Leader of the Opposition in the Dewan Rakyat after several Opposition leaders were expelled from their parties. 

“We have not heard any decision from them. This is their matter, not ours. 

“Whether they remain or are replaced is up to the Opposition bloc itself,” he said, noting that the government could not intrude on such decisions.