Membership of 6 Bersatu MPs, 1 state rep no longer valid, claims party

Bersatu information chief Razali Idris said the seven ‘rouge’ elected representatives should not wait for their dismissal letters.

PETALING JAYA: The membership of the seven Bersatu elected representatives who have pledged support for the unity government is no longer valid, says the party’s information chief, Razali Idris.

Razali said the six MPs and one assemblyman should vacate their seats without waiting for their formal dismissal letters, claiming that their membership had been terminated upon the Registrar of Societies’ (RoS) approval of Bersatu’s constitution amendment.

“The party will only send a notification letter, along with a notice of approval of the party’s constitutional amendment as approved by the RoS,” he was quoted as saying in a Berita Harian report today.

“The seven are urged not to wait for an official letter from Bersatu. If they are gentlemen, they should resign and vacate their seats.”

On April 2, the RoS approved an amendment to Bersatu’s constitution which will allow the party to revoke the memberships of its elected representatives if they go against the party’s stand.

The move was in response to the six Bersatu MPs pledging their support for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s leadership without leaving the party, enabling them to circumvent a provision in the Federal Constitution which would have required them to vacate their seats.

The MPs are Syed Abu Hussin Hafiz Syed Abdul Fasal (Bukit Gantang), Azizi Abu Naim (Gua Musang), Dr Zulkafperi Hanapi (Tanjong Karang), Zahari Kechik (Jeli), Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid (Kuala Kangsar) and Suhaili Abdul Rahman (Labuan).

All six MPs justified their support for the federal government by citing the needs of their constituencies. However, they said they would remain loyal to Bersatu.

In early March, Selat Klang assemblyman Abdul Rashid Asari voiced support for Selangor menteri besar Amirudin Shari, citing the same reasons as the six MPs.

However, Suhaili said he would not have to vacate his seat as the amended constitution only took effect on April 1. He clarified that he and the other five MPs had declared their support for Anwar between October and January.

Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin later brushed off such claims, saying that “maybe they don’t understand or are just looking for an excuse to make themselves feel better”.

He also said the party had a team of lawyers who were reviewing the application of the new rule to ensure any action taken was by the book.