Aziz Bari joins DAP

PETALING JAYA: Constitutional law expert Dr Abdul Aziz Bari (pic) is the newest member to join the ranks of DAP.

"I chose DAP because I feel that it provides ample room for me to serve. I was attracted by DAP's principle of openness, meritocracy and transparency," he said.

He explained that he had prior experience working with DAP during his tenure as a fellow at the Penang Institute, where he was appointed by Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.

Dr Abdul Aziz added that his intention was merely to contribute and did not request for any position in the party.

The announcement was made by him during a press conference attended by DAP notables at the party headquarters on Thursday.

Among the attendees were party advisor Lim Kit Siang, party Publicity Chief Tony Pua and national literature laureate A. Samad Said.

Dr Abdul Aziz said that he had met with some PKR leaders, including PKR secretary-general Rafizi Ramli to inform them of his intention to join DAP.

Dr Abdul Aziz contested on a PKR ticket during GE13, but lost.

"I am looking for a bigger space, a grouping that will give me more freedom and a place where my talent or expertise will be fully utilised," he said in response to why he had chosen DAP over PKR.

"But I am still in the (Pakatan Rakyat) coalition," he assured the public.

Dr Abdul Aziz, a former International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) lecturer, was investigated for statements in an online news article in Sept 2014.

His statements were alleged to have questioned the role of the royalty in politics and also suggested that the discretionary powers of the Sultan were only limited to instances where there was a hung state assembly.

He was suspended from IIUM in October 2011 for questioning the remarks made by the Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah over a raid on the Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) by the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais).