KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 20 — Political infighting, false accusations and a culture of rudeness had driven ex-Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) vice-president Datuk Hamidah Osman to leave the party she helped form just over a year ago.
In a recently-released video on Youtube, Hamidah broke her silence and explained why she quit PPBM, saying that it was not an easy decision to make.
“Division within the party is quite evident and I worry PPBM will get a lot more problems. A lot of people have accused me of being power-hungry when I was already the vice-president.
“What was more disappointing was when I tried to state my views I was accused of being a traitor,” she said in the seven-minute interview.
She also accused PPBM youth wing Armada chief Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman of being uncouth and rude and the party’s top leadership, by endorsing such culture and behaviour.
“Syed Saddiq accused me of being an Umno agent and told me to leave. It’s so disappointing.
“Malays are synonymous with culture and manners, but I could not stand to see this kind of culture in PPBM,” Hamidah added.
She said this was the final straw which drove her to resign as vice-president, Gopeng division chief and leave the party.
“I have to admit, PPBM is where it is only because of Tun Mahathir… that was why I joined,” she said, referring to party chairman and former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
PPBM co-founder and former Gopeng Wanita Umno chief Anina Saadudin along with Hamidah announced their resignations on Saturday, joining another founding member, Datuk Khairuddin Abu Hassan, who departed earlier.
