KUALA LUMPUR: PAS information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari has joined the chorus for Bersatu to take stern action against its assemblymen for withdrawing support for the Perlis Mentri Besar.
He also said failure to act would cast doubt on Bersatu's willingness to continue their collaboration in the Perikatan Nasional coalition.
Sinar Harian reported on Thursday (Dec 25) that Ahmad Fadhli urged Bersatu to take immediate and firm action against the party's state assemblymen in Perlis who were involved in signing statutory declarations (SDs) stating they had withdrawn support.
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He said five Bersatu assemblymen were involved in withdrawing support for the leadership of Mentri Besar Mohd Shukri Ramli, sparking political uncertainty in the state.
"Bersatu is urged to immediately take firm action against the party's five assemblymen who stated that they had lost confidence in the Perlis Mentri Besar.
"Failure to do so is feared to be a signal that Bersatu is no longer interested in establishing political cooperation with PAS in Perikatan," he said.
On Wednesday (Dec 24), three PAS assemblymen in Perlis – Saad Seman (Chuping), Fakhrul Anwar Ismail (Bintong) and Mohd Ridzuan Hashim (Guar Sanji) – were sacked by the party.
PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang said the trio had their party memberships terminated with immediate effect.
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Meanwhile, the media reported that the five Bersatu members alleged to have also signed the SDs were Abu Bakar Hamzah (Kuala Perlis), Izizam Ibrahim (Titi Tinggi), Megat Hashirat Hassan (Pauh), Wan Zikri Afthar Ishak (Tambun Tulang) and Marzita Mansor (Sena).
It is understood that the eight assemblymen had submitted a statutory declaration (SD) to the Raja of Perlis, Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Putra Jamalullail, last week to inform the Ruler that they had withdrawn their support for Shukri.
Perlis has 15 state assembly seats, and in the 15th General Election (GE15), Perikatan created history when it won 14 seats (PAS nine, Bersatu five) while Pakatan Harapan (through PKR) won one seat, Indera Kayangan.
ALSO READ: Take action against your assemblymen too, PAS tells Bersatu over Perlis SDs
On Thursday, PAS deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man urged its Perikatan partner Bersatu to take stern action against its assemblymen who submitted the SDs.
He said the action of submitting the SDs to retract their support for Mohd Shukri had created a disharmonious atmosphere in Perlis.
"Such a move is essential as a sign of respect to other component members of Perikatan as well as ensuring that discipline and integrity of the coalition are maintained," he said.
Tuan Ibrahim compared this to the time six Perikatan leaders defied their party and declared support for the unity government led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
"Bersatu, at that time, had sacked... the Nenggiri assemblyman for supporting PMX (Anwar), which triggered a by-election even when such actions (declaring support) did not involve SDs.
"Compared to Nenggiri, what happened in Perlis is far more serious. It directly affects the integrity of the Perikatan government," he said.
