Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) pro-tem committee member Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman said the party is not "purely race-based" despite the bumiputera-only membership criteria.

Syed Saddiq said this after getting flak for aligning himself with the race-based party, after earlier espousing the 'Bangsa Malaysia' concept.

"It's not purely race-base. Associate status plus appointment into top party positions. We'll also be with other opposition parties.

"It's a compromise model. A new-Pribumi (native) reform-centric party which will be contesting in impenetrable Umno areas," he said on Twitter yesterday.

He also said the criticisms are "well-founded" and are needed to ensure the party remains on the right track.

The youth activist, who rose to fame when he was named Asia's top debater, was responding to Twitter user @thevesh, who asked why he chose to be part of a race-based party despite his reform agenda.

Syed Saddiq also received scathing criticism from popular Twitter user and technology writer Effi Saharuddin, who said he had betrayed his once pristine ideals for former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's politics.

"Ah you turned from 'Malaysia untuk Bangsa Malaysia' into 'MELAYU!'. Syabas. Please collect your silver coins," Effi tweeted on his account @1Obefiend.

He also attached Syed Saddiq's Facebook post of a poem on the rise of the Malays to solve the Malaysia's present leadership crisis.

After submitting Bersatu's registration papers at the Registrar of Societies yesterday, pro-tem president Muhyiddin Yassin said the party will only admit bumiputera members, but non-bumiputera can be associate members and be appointed to positions.