Former Terengganu menteri besar Ahmad Said told Umno leaders from the splinter party Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) have been courting his membership but he has thus far not agreed.

"(Former premier) Dr Mahathir Mohamad has sent people to see me, asking me to join the new party Bersatu.

"(Former Umno deputy president) Muhyiddin Yassin has also offered me a position as a member of the party's supreme council.

"For now, I want to wait and see. I have not replied ... but I don't know for how long more.

"As for now, I want to wait and see. I have not answered them ... But I am not sure when I would do so.

"I'm afraid I would not be able to resist the persistent insistence," he said when opening the Kemaman Umno division delegates meeting here today, according to Bernama.

The former MB has been at the forefront of the state Umno's internal crisis, and has been calling for his successor Terengganu Menteri Besar Ahmad Razif Abd Rahman to step down.

'Don't underestimate Bersatu'

Ahmad said other parties such as PAS, PKR and Amanah have courted his membership, but he has turned them down because he does not want to betray Umno.

The Kijal assemblyperson, who joined Umno when he was just 18, said he wanted to carry on serving the party and hoped that no one would continue to question and challenge his loyalty.

He added he will stick with Umno to see how party president Najib Razak can bring change to fix the state's crisis.

"I was informed that Najib has called several state assemblymen to personally find out what the problems plaguing the state are," he said.

"Najib promised to make changes. I am still an Umno member ... I am not vengeful, just don't wake up a sleeping tiger," he said, while reminding the delegates not to underestimate the new party.

He also asked for an investigation to find out why only 686 of the 973 delegates had attended the meeting.

Kemaman's is the only Umno division delegates meeting in Terengganu opened by its own chief.