‘Declare seats vacant’

United we stand: Muhyiddin (second from right) along with other Perikatan leaders at the convention for its elected representatives.

KUALA LUMPUR: Perikatan Nasional has challenged the Dewan Rakyat and Selangor legislature to declare as vacant the seats occupied by its seven elected representatives who support the Prime Minister.

Perikatan chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the mandate should be returned to the people, claiming that should by-elections be held, his coalition would secure a bigger win.

Speaking at a convention for its elected representatives, Muhyiddin said the mandate must be returned to the people as the six MPs and one state lawmaker had betrayed their voters “by supporting the government”.

In an immediate response, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim stressed that it was not his call whether those seats should be vacated.

“The head of party-hopping is proposing that. It’s up to the MPs, why ask me?” Anwar told reporters when asked about it during his visit to Penang.

Last year, Perikatan’s MPs for Tanjong Karang, Bukit Gantang, Jeli, Gua Musang, Kuala Kangsar and Labuan declared their support for Anwar, but insisted they were still members of component party Bersatu.

On March 6, Perikatan Selangor assemblyman for Selat Klang Datuk Abdul Rashid Asari declared his support for Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari. The elected representatives in question were not invited to the convention.

Muhyiddin, who is also Bersatu president, expressed confidence that the coalition would win back those parliament seats if by-elections were called.

“I do not want to sound overconfident, but I believe that Perikatan will win big in those seats if by-elections are held. If they dare, declare the seats vacant. Let the people decide,” he said.

In his response to Muhyiddin, Anwar called him the “chief party-hopper”.

“He was the expert who hopped and schemed. He should answer to that. People have lost faith in Bersatu in particular,” he said.

Meanwhile, Bersatu information chief Datuk Razali Idris confirmed that the seven lawmakers were not invited to the convention.

He said, “They are traitors. I don’t see why we should invite them.”