A party divided: Bersatu supreme council meeting to take place without Dr M, Mukhriz

PETALING JAYA: The Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia supreme council is set to meet on Monday (May 11) but missing names in the invitation list raise questions as to what is brewing.

Bersatu sources confirmed that the supreme council meeting will definitely take place at the University Malaya Alumni Association in Kuala Lumpur at noon.

Supreme council member Wan Saiful Wan Jan also confirmed that there is a Bersatu supreme council meeting but he does not know who else was invited and who was left out.

The invitation for the supreme council meeting, allegedly issued in a WhatsApp message by Bersatu executive secretary Kapt (R) Muhamad Suhaimi Yahya, listed all those holding positions as invited except that of chairman (Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad) and deputy president (Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir).

The list included the president, vice presidents, Srikandi (Wanita) chief, Armada (Youth) chief, secretary-general, treasurer-general, information chief and fellow MPT (supreme council) members.

There is no agenda attached in the invitation.

When contacted, Mukhriz confirmed that he had not received an invitation to the supreme council meeting.

"No, I was not invited," said Mukhriz.

Suhaimi, however, when asked why the duo was not invited, said,"Even I am not aware of this meeting. And I do not know why the chairman and deputy president were not invited," he said.

Meanwhile, former Bersatu secretary-general Datuk Marzuki Yahya warned that such a meeting was invalid.

"According to the party constitution, only the chairman can call MPT meetings," claimed Marzuki.

Attempts to contact Dr Mahathir and other supreme council members were to no avail.

On Feb 24, when Dr Mahathir resigned as prime minister and Bersatu chairman, a majority of the Bersatu supreme council members agreed to back Muhyiddin as the eighth Prime Minister and leave Pakatan Harapan to join Perikatan Nasional.

This led to Dr Mahathir stating that Muhyiddin had no right to do so and had divided the party.

The barbs from Dr Mahathir, supported mainly by Mukhriz and Youth chief Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, continued even after Muhyiddin had formed the Perikatan government on March 1.

On May 10, Mukhriz had stated that Dr Mahathir never agreed with Bersatu’s decision to leave Pakatan, denying a statement by Bersatu information chief Datuk Radzi Jidin's claims that Dr Mahathir had backtracked at the last minute.

Mukhriz said Dr Mahathir had stated he was uncomfortable cooperating with Umno during a previous supreme council meeting, which was said to be the tipping point before the party’s departure from Pakatan.

The smaller faction of Bersatu is now with Pakatan while the major faction is with Muhyiddin and Perikatan.