Six plus one, you're out: Bersatu to give rogue reps the boot

PETALING JAYA: The six Bersatu MPs who declared support for the Prime Minister last year will be issued letters informing them their membership has been revoked, says party information chief Datuk Razali Idris.

"The party will notify them in accordance with procedure.

"What is important is that they should understand that the rights to their (parliamentary) seats belong to the party.

"They won based on the support of voters and not their own merit," he said when contacted on Wednesday (April 3).

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He did not, however, specify when the letters would be issued.

On Tuesday (April 2), it was reported that the Registrar of Societies (RoS) had approved amendments to Bersatu's constitution which would allow it to revoke the membership of MPs and state assemblymen who went against the party’s stand.

Bersatu received notification of the approval via a letter addressed to Bersatu secretary-general Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin sighted by The Star.

The amendments came into effect on Monday (April 1).

On March 11, Hamzah and Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin submitted the application for RoS approval to amend its constitution.

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At Bersatu’s special general assembly on March 2, it agreed to amend its constitution to automatically revoke the membership of MPs and state assemblymen who backed other parties.

The move came in the wake of six Bersatu MPs who declared their support for Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim last year, namely: Datuk Syed Abu Hussin Hafiz Syed Abdul Fasal (Bukit Gantang), Mohd Azizi Abu Naim (Gua Musang), Datuk Zulkafperi Hanapi (Tanjong Karang), Zahari Kechik (Jeli), Datuk Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid (Kuala Kangsar) and Datuk Suhaili Abdul Rahman (Labuan).

On March 7, Bersatu’s Selat Klang assemblyman Datuk Abdul Rashid Asari pledged his support for Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari.

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Razali said the amendments not only affected the six but also the Selat Klang assemblyman.

"The approval by RoS is related to the loss of party membership and the 'six plus one' (the MPs and assemblyman) should vacate their seats immediately so that by-elections can be held.

"They should not beat around the bush," he said.

Razali said the mandate should be returned to the voters in the respective constituencies.