“Yeah. A lot of Umno leaders, prominent leaders, last time, Datuk Harun Idris, the chief minister of Selangor, the most powerful at the time, he had to serve. Mokhtar Hashim, he had to serve. Everybody has to serve before you get the pardon, simple as that. There are no two ways about it.”

- Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan

COMMENT | As reported in the press, former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak warned of four types of BN leaders that people should be aware of.

The first type was a “frog” or defector; the second was those “hiding in a cave” or absent; the third was composed of those supporting Bersatu, and the fourth was those loyal to the party.

“We must assess how useful they are (to the party) when the time comes,” Najib said about the first three types.

Malay unity has been the rallying cry of the establishment for years and the great lie that built a kleptocracy. These days, the fates of various factions of Umno are entwined with traitors from Bersatu, making any kind of electoral strategy iffy.

While Umno has an accomplished record of corruption and government malfeasance, it also has a track record of winning elections