We did not respond to show-cause letter as we do not recognise Sng as PBM president, says Haniza

PETALING JAYA: The 13 Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM) members who were suspended, including the 11 who have since been sacked from the party say they did not respond to the show-cause letters issued to them as they did not recognise Datuk Larry Sng as the party president.

"All of us did not respond to the show-cause letter (from the PBM disciplinary committee) because Sng is not the legitimate president," said Haniza Mohamed Talha (pic).

Haniza was removed as deputy president and party supreme council member but she was not sacked from the party.

"It's strange that my membership remains. I do not recognise Sng as the president. I want the Registrar of Societies to act on our letter of objection on the status of the party presidency," she said when contacted on Tuesday (Dec 27).

Sng, meanwhile, said that the memberships of Haniza and Dr Daroyah Alwi remained as members as they were both elected state assemblymen.

"With the anti-party hopping law in effect in Selangor, we do not want to be seen as encouraging them to jump to another party," he told The Star.

A leadership tussle broke out between Sng and Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin in October over the president's post.

Haniza has previously claimed that Zuraida is the legitimate president as the party had decided on this during its annual general assembly in October.

Sng, however, said that he was still the rightful PBM president.

All 13 suspended members did not respond to the show-cause letters issued to them last Monday (Dec 19) and 11 have since been ejected from PBM.

Among the sacked PBM members are Zuraida, vice-presidents Rahimah Majid, Sathiskumar Govindaraju and Muhammad Saiful Bahari Sahari; party youth chief Na'im Brundage and party secretary-general Nor Hizwan Ahmad.

Also sacked were information chief Zakaria Abdul Hamid, supreme council member Ab Aziz Ab Kadir, Zakaria Abdul Rahim, Datuk Roger Tan Seng Huat, and Albakri Salim.

The PBM information unit said the disciplinary action against the 13 party members came following a meeting by its disciplinary committee on Dec 27.