PETALING JAYA: It is the end of their careers in Bersatu for the four MPs who broke party lines by backing Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, says the party’s Youth chief Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal (pic).
He said it is certain that they would never again be fielded as election candidates by the party.
He added that Bersatu has meted out “hefty punishment” against Labuan MP Datuk Suhaili Abdul Rahman by suspending him from the party for six years effective Nov 7, and Kuala Kangsar MP Datuk Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid for four years effective Nov 3.
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Two other Bersatu MPs – Gua Musang’s Mohd Azizi Abu Naim and Jeli’s Zahari Kechik – pledged their support for Anwar on Tuesday and yesterday, respectively. They will know their fate within the party soon.
“Their careers in Bersatu are technically finished,” Wan Ahmad Fayhsal said when contacted yesterday.
The Machang MP also claimed that the four had received offers from several individuals whom the party believed were connected to the government of the day.
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“We have filed a police report as explained by (Bersatu secretary-general and Opposition leader) Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin, so we’ll wait for it to be resolved before we cross the bridge,” he said.
Wan Ahmad Fayhsal also questioned the timing of the MPs’ switch of allegiance, almost a year after the 15th General Election on Nov 19, 2022.
“This is the funny thing. Why now, after one year?
“Why now, after the government has got the majority support of 148 MPs, that suddenly these MPs switched camps?
“Of course, their excuse is because of constituency allocations, but there is more to it,” he claimed.
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On Oct 13, Hamzah, who is also the secretary-general of Perikatan Nasional – of which Bersatu is a member – claimed in a statement that Iskandar Dzulkarnain was pressured by the government into backing Anwar through the threat of corruption charges on Oct 1.
Anwar later denied that he had contacted or met Iskandar Dzulkarnain to get his support and instead asked Hamzah to prove his claims.
Meanwhile, Perikatan Federal Territories information chief Mahathir Mohd Rais lauded the coalition’s chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin for his “resilience” in facing the upheaval while acknowledging that there could be further “defections.”
Perikatan, he said, has remained steadfast and would continue to champion the people’s interests.
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“The resilience of Muhyiddin as the Perikatan chairman shines through amid the unpredictable tides of politics.
“A political party’s strength is its ability to withstand storms, not merely its visible size. Political reality teaches us that no party is immune to power struggles, a global phenomenon.
“Outstanding leadership throughout history – Churchill’s defiance, Roosevelt’s savvy during unparalleled economic turmoil, and Lee Kuan Yew’s resolve to transform a nation – all illustrate that the leadership’s test is not in victory but in perseverance through trials.
“Muhyiddin walks this path, standing firm despite potential increases in defections, demonstrating that leadership is truly tested in times of crisis,” he said in a statement yesterday.
