Major change: Muhyiddin (centre, right), Ahmad Faizal (centre, left) and Hamzah (right) greeting attendees at the EGM. — ART CHEN/The Star
Rogue MPs to face the axe following successful motion to amend clause
SELAYANG: Bersatu has passed a motion to automatically nullify the membership of any of the party’s elected representative who shifts allegiance to rival parties.
The party passed the motion to amend Clause 10 of the Bersatu constitution to enable the cessation of rogue elected representatives at an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) attended by about 1,500 delegates here yesterday.
The motion was mooted by party deputy president Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu, and was approved by the delegates unanimously.
According to the motion, any Bersatu state assemblyman or MP who disobeyed party’s orders will cease to be a member automatically.
Ahmad Faizal further proposed that the Bersatu secretary-general, on the instructions of the supreme council, is allowed to issue the notice to boot the member from the party.
The push for this amendment comes after six Bersatu MPs shifted their allegiance to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim since last year, but remained as Bersatu members.
The six MPs are Zahari Kechik (Jeli), Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid (Kuala Kangsar), Syed Abu Hussin Hafiz Syed Abdul Fasal (Bukit Gantang), Suhaili Abdul Rahman (Labuan), Mohd Azizi Abu Naim (Gua Musang) and Datuk Dr Zulkafperi Hanapi (Tanjong Karang).
In a media conference after the EGM, Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the amendment will be brought to the Registrar of Societies (RoS).
“Once approved by RoS, this amendment will take effect immediately.
“We then hope that the Dewan Rakyat Speaker, in the spirit of respecting political parties, will order those who have crossed the floor to vacate their seats to enable the Election Commission to call for by-elections,” said Muhyiddin, who added the six rogue MPs will be asked again if they still support Anwar as PM, and if they continue to do so, they will then automatically be expelled.
“All Bersatu elected representatives had made the ‘baiah’ (pact with God) to uphold the party’s name and struggle when they won the seats.
“However, some of them have no fear – such as Tanjung Karang MP – and have even turned their back on their promises to God,” said Muhyiddin.
In his speech at the EGM, Muhyiddin challenged the six MPs to vacate their seats if they are not “shameless”.
“We have to do this amendment because there are six MPs who have betrayed our party struggles by expressing their support to our enemy without leaving Bersatu.
“They should have quit the party, but they did not.
“They claimed that they did so because they did not receive any allocation, but the other Bersatu MPs also did not receive any allocation, but we still continued our struggles.
“They should have left but they did not because they know it will trigger the anti-hopping law and have to vacate their seats,” he said.
In his speech, Bersatu secretary-general Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin said the EGM was held yesterday after the call by two-thirds of party delegates for such an amendment.
“There are among us today those who were elected by us, but they decided to leave the party’s struggle for their own selfish reasons,” said Hamzah.
In an immediate reaction Tasek Gelugor MP Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan urged the RoS to expedite the approval of the amendment so that it could be enforced without delay.
“Don’t let any political disturbance get in the way of hampering the process.
“The Dewan Rakyat Speaker, too, should play his role fairly to announce that the six seats will be vacated when Bersatu takes the next step,” said Wan Saiful, who is a Bersatu supreme council member.
