Ex-Bersatu MPs believe their seats will stay intact

KUALA LUMPUR: The six ex-Bersatu lawmakers, whose status as MPs is under contention, are confident that by-elections would not be called for their parliamentary seats despite the revocation of their party membership.

Labuan MP Datuk Dr Suhaili Abdul Rahman said they had discussed it with their lawyers and were positive that their MP seats would not be vacated.

He claimed that Bersatu only went ahead with its party constitution amendments after the six MPs decided to stray from the party stand and declared support to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

(A Bersatu special general assembly on March 2 saw the party approving amendments which allow it to automatically revoke the membership of MPs and state assemblymen who backed other rivals.)

“The party constitution was amended with malice to ensure the six of us were made scapegoats by the Bersatu and Perikatan Nasional leadership, simply because we chose to prioritise our electorate instead of a leadership that is continuously criticising the government,” he said at a press conference in the Parliament building yesterday.

Except for Bukit Gantang MP Datuk Syed Abu Hussin Hafiz Syed Abdul Fasal, the press conference was also attended by the other MPs who went rogue – Zahari Kechik (Jeli), Mohd Azizi Abu Naim (Gua Musang), Datuk Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid (Kuala Kangsar) and Datuk Dr Zulkafperi Hanafi (Tanjong Karang).

Suhaili said that these six Yang Berhormat are now considered Independent MPs backing the government.

He dispelled talk that they had been offered to join other political parties, saying that they were well-aware of the anti-hopping law.

“This means that if we want to join a party, it has to be after the GE15 period. After that, we can decide where to go,” he added.

On June 24, Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul said he had received a notification from Bersatu about the six vacant seats, adding that the law stipulated that he had 21 days to review it.

Yesterday, Suhaili also spoke about the dissatisfaction felt by the six of them over Bersatu’s move to be in the Opposition side without consulting them.

Being an Opposition MP, said Suhaili, had left them in a difficult situation to help their respective constituents, given the lack of allocations.

“We endured this for one year in which we handled our constituencies without any allocation.

“When people come to us for help, we tell them we have no allocations. But we can’t keep saying this for five years.

“It is not our choice to be Opposition. It is the decision of the leadership that made us victims of circumstances,” he said.