Disappointed Jeli voters have covered up the face of their MP Mustapa Mohamed on a billboard after the latter joined Bersatu last week.

A piece of paper was used to obscure his face on the billboard, which shows him standing next to former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak, reported Sinar Harian today.

His decision to join Bersatu has also been criticised on a Facebook page for Jeli residents, with many considering it a form of betrayal.

Some also claimed that Mustapa, who is also the Air Lanas assemblyperson, had acted in self-interest when he joined the Umno splinter party, whose chairperson is Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

There were those who urged the former Jeli Umno chief to vacate his parliament and state seats as he won them on the Umno ticket in the last general election.

However, some disagreed, saying that Mustapa had contributed to the development of Jeli.

The former international trade and industries minister, who had been in Umno for four decades, had announced his resignation from the party last month.

He said this was because he believed the party's current direction was "no longer in line" with his political principles and that there had not been "significant efforts to rejuvenate the party".