KOTA KINABALU: Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia is ready to face by-elections in four Sabah parliamentary seats, says Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee.
The Bersatu vice-president said this was in the event they managed to obtain a favourable result in their legal battle to force the four Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) MPs to vacate their seats under the anti-party hopping law.
Speaking at a Bersatu event here on Saturday (June 17), Kiandee, who is also Sabah Bersatu chief, said they have appointed several lawyers to represent the party in a judicial review against Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Johari Abdul and the four MPs.
“We have challenged the Speaker’s decision not to vacate the seats, the judicial review (application hearing) will be on Aug 29.
“We are prepared for the by-elections in these seats,” added the Beluran MP.
The application for the judicial review was filed by Kiandee and Datuk Captain (Rtd) Muhammad Suhaimi Yahya as public officers of the party on April 17.
Bersatu named Johari and MPs - Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali (Papar), Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan (Batu Sapi), Datuk Jonathan Yasin (Ranau) and Datuk Matbali Musah (Sipitang) - as the first to fifth respondents.
In the application, Bersatu is seeking an order to revoke a decision made by Johari, through a letter dated Jan 16, 2023, which stated that the second to fifth respondents had clarified and confirmed that there was no vacant parliamentary seat based on the interpretation of the constitution of GRS and Bersatu.
Bersatu is also seeking a declaration that the four MPs had ceased to be members of the Dewan Rakyat in accordance with Article 49A of the Federal Constitution, as well as an order for Johari to confirm the four seats as vacant.
The Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC), however, said it will raise an objection against Bersatu’s application for leave.
Senior federal counsel Ahmad Hanir Hambaly, representing the AGC, said the objection will be raised at the hearing of the judicial review application on Aug 29 before High Court judge Amarjeet Singh.
