PUTRAJAYA: Pakatan Harapan parties will not accept Barisan Nasional MPs en masse, but will vet them when they are on their bended knees.
Pakatan Harapan chairman and Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said that there is no intention to blacklist anyone from BN but court decisions will be taken into account.
"If they leave the party and become neutral and support the government and (then) they appeal on bended knees to join us, we will consider," said Dr Mahathir.
He was speaking to the media after a meeting of the Pakatan Presidential Council at the Perdana Leadership Foundation here today (Nov 3).
"There are those who want to join in masses. We cannot allow that, as then they would be bigger than us (in numbers).
"They can enter one by one after they have left Umno, be independent elected representatives and we will study when they apply to join our parties," said Dr Mahathir.
He said the numbers intending to join are in hundreds as some of the elected representatives intending to join come with 20, 30 or 50 followers.
Bersatu supreme council member Datuk A. Kadir Jasin had earlier claimed that there was a possibility that as many as 40 MPs from Umno might jump ship.
Dr Mahathir Mohamad also refuted rumours that he had summoned BN elected representatives to induce them to join Pakatan.
"I have never called anyone and if they come to see me, I meet everyone," said Dr Mahathir.
Umno President Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahidi and some Umno representatives have claimed they were called to meet Pakatan leaders to join the coalition.
"We will see the quality of those who want to join and not those who support robbers.
"If they are simple elected representatives, we will study - nothing is automatic. There is no blacklist but we will follow what happens in the courts," said Dr Mahathir.
He also said Jeli MP Datuk Mustapa Mohamad was accepted into Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) as he knew the latter was not happy when he was in Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's cabinet.
"When Mustapa was in Najib's cabinet, he was not happy, he used to meet me. He was not happy.
"He was afraid. Many are afraid of Najib. I am also afraid too," joked Dr Mahathir.
Mustapa's entry into Bersatu has triggered much debate among Pakatan leaders on accepting BN defectors.
