It’s time to work, says Armizan after court verdict on Sabah MPs’ seats

KOTA KINABALU: Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali says it is now the time to focus on work after the Kuala Lumpur High Court ruling allowing four Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) MPs to keep their seats.

“Alhamdulillah, I am grateful (for the verdict),” said the Papar MP, when contacted on Thursday (Nov 16), following the Court’s decision.

“It is time to continue working, particularly for the people in Papar who I am representing.

“Thank you to everyone for their prayers,” added the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah, Sarawak Affairs and Special Functions).

Kuala Lumpur High Court judge Justice Datuk Amarjeet Singh had on Thursday (Nov 16) rejected a judicial review application filed by Bersatu vice president Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee and the party's public officer Datuk Capt (Rtd) Muhammad Suhaimi Yahya.

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The application was to challenge Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul's refusal to vacate the seats of four Sabah MPs who left the party.

The duo had filed the legal action on April 28 to apply for the Speaker to vacate the seats of the four MPs in Sabah.

Besides Johari and Armizan, the party also named Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan (Batu Sapi), Datuk Jonathan Yasin (Ranau) and Datuk Matbali Musah (Sipitang) as the first through fifth respondents.

In his ruling, Justice Amarjeet wrote that the High Court was bound by a Federal Court ruling that it had no jurisdiction to question the decision of the Dewan Rakyat Speaker.

He added the court denied the application, with no order as to costs, based on Article 63 of the Federal Constitution which states that the House is in charge of procedural matters which do not involve the constitution.

When asked about his views on the verdict, Armizan said that all should accept the High Court’s decision and its grounds of judgement.

He reiterated that the four MPs contested as direct members of GRS as well as using the coalition’s logo in the November general election last year.

“From the start, we wanted our stance to be decided by GRS and not any other party,” he said.

To a question on what he thought over the action by his former party colleague Kiandee in bringing the matter to court, he said he did not feel it was anything personal.

“Politics is politics but the principle I hold in life is that if you don’t want to be friends, let’s not be enemies.

“He (Kiandee) has the right to bring the matter to court and it has been decided.

“As a politician, what is important to me is that we must accept the decision by the country’s judicial body,” Armizan said.

On the possibility of Bersatu appealing the case, Armizan said it was entirely up to them.