Syed Hamid admits misstep in joining Bersatu

Veteran politician Syed Hamid Albar joined Bersatu in mid-2018, seeking a new platform to continue his political fight after observing Umno’s deterioration.

(FMT) – Veteran politician Syed Hamid Albar has admitted that joining Bersatu was a mistake, saying the party has significantly deviated from its original commitment to further the cause of the Malays and Islam.

In his biography “Idealis: Syed Hamid Albar”, the former minister revealed that he joined Bersatu seeking a new platform to continue his political fight after observing Umno’s deterioration.

He said he chose Bersatu because he believed the party could offer a platform to champion the two causes that were close to his heart dating back to the time when he was a member of Umno’s Supreme Council.

Those were also the causes that led him to accept without hesitation an invitation from Dr Mahathir Mohamad, then Bersatu’s chairman, to join the party.

Syed Hamid’s membership was formally announced by Mahathir’s son and then Bersatu deputy president Mukhriz Mahathir on Sept 26, 2018. He would go on to be appointed chairman of the party’s election committee.

Mahathir became prime minister for a second time after Pakatan Harapan (PH) won the 2018 general election, ending Barisan Nasional’s 60-year rule.

Over time, Syed Hamid realised that his decision to join the party was a mistake.

“When Syed Hamid joined Bersatu, he expected to continue his fight for the Malays and Islam. But his expectations were not met, and he found the party increasingly straying from its original mission and its intended purpose.

The book said Syed Hamid felt disillusioned by the many issues plaguing the party and the fact that none of its leaders sought advice from him despite his status as a seasoned politician.

“He began to feel like a puppet, unable to contribute anything meaningful. At age 78, he realised that he had spent too much of his life in the political arena, and on Feb 18, 2022, withdrew from Bersatu and announced his retirement from politics,” the book read.

 Like beating a dead horse

The biography also revealed Syed Hamid’s regret that his long-held desire to see out his political career in Umno, the party he had been a part of for 50 years, would remain unfulfilled.

He left Umno, on June 26, 2018, after no longer being able to tolerate rampant corruption and abuse of power. He likened attempts on his part to address those issues to flogging a dead horse.

He also criticised the party’s leaders and its members for their disregard of the law.

The former Kota Tinggi MP said Umno was very different when he first joined Umno, and fought hard under the ideals of struggle and sacrifice. However, he observed that this spirit faded after the success of the New Economic Policy.

“Over time, the focus of the cause became more materialistic. Fewer professionals became involved in politics, and those who succeeded were mainly corporate figures, individuals with close ties to patrons, and corporate supporters,” Syed Hamid was quoted in the book as saying.

The biography, written by Noor Hasilah Ismail and Firdaus Zainal, is published by Ilham Books and is available online through Gerakbudaya and Ilham Books.