PETALING JAYA: The Parti Bangsa Malaysia’s (PBM) supreme council meeting that Datuk Larry Sng has called for in Sarikei, Sarawak is null and void, says its deputy president Haniza Talha (pic).
A tussle has unfolded in the party as some members had voted to elevate "president designate" Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin to take over the helm although Sng has insisted he was still the party president.
"It is null and void because I don’t think he has the quorum because you will need half of the supreme council members.
"He can have a discussion but not a legitimate meeting and whatever decision in that cannot be taken as the decision of the party," Haniza said when contacted.
ALSO READ: Larry Sng: I am still PBM president
Sng took to social media on Friday (Oct 29) night to announce that he had decided to suspend 12 supreme council members including Haniza for undermining the party’s interest and its leadership as per clause 60 (iii) of the party’s constitution.
He also announced the suspension of Zuraida "as an ordinary member of PBM."
Following that, he called for a supreme meeting in Sarikei, Sarawak at 4pm on Sunday (Oct 30). He had said those who had been suspended would not be invited to attend the meeting.
Haniza explained that she was puzzled by Sng taking to Facebook to make such statements out of the blue.
"We are all in the Whatsapp group and we are communicating in there about the election and what is going to happen. All these discussions have been going on in the Whatsapp group but he didn’t say anything.
"It just amazes us that he came out with these statements which he didn’t mention at all," she added.
She said the decision to elevate Zuraida as the president was done at the party’s AGM on Oct 1, adding that it was carried out as per the party’s constitution.
When asked if Sng had ever acknowledged Zuraida as the president, Haniza said "yes he did because in the AGM he verbally said that."
She noted that a resolution to appoint Zuraida as the new president was carried among all the delegates at the AGM.
"And also quoting the president, Larry’s speech during the AGM that he agreed to make way for the appointment of Zuraida and he agreed that Zuraida will be the right person to head the party. That was in his speech," she said.
"We made it official during the meeting to appoint Zuraida as a supreme council member and after that carry out the resolution from the AGM to appoint her as the president of the party.
"All that was recorded in the meeting minutes and sent to the Registrar of Societies (ROS)," she added.
She said the party was waiting for a response from ROS.
On how the party would face the 15th General Election (GE15) amidst this internal tussle, Haniza said everyone is working "on the same mode."
"We are hoping that the meeting on Nov 3 will iron out all this misinformation, miscommunication, and misunderstanding," she said, adding that she wanted Sng to attend the meeting.
Meanwhile, PBM Youth chief Na'im Brundage also said their suspension was invalid as Sng was no longer the party president.
"Nothing has changed. We will proceed to contest in GE15. We can provide more details after our supreme council members meeting," he said.
Na’im was also among the list of supreme council members suspended by Sng.
According to reports, Sng said PBM would set up a disciplinary committee to deal with its leadership issue in a meeting on Sunday (Oct 30).
"We will also discuss what has transpired in the last few days (power struggle) and on the 15th General Election," he said.
On who would be attending the meeting, he said the committee members were being notified.
