PETALING JAYA: Former ministers Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli and Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad have officially announced they are leaving PKR to join Parti Bersama Malaysia.
They said their respective parliamentary seats of Pandan and Setiawangsa would be vacated with effect from Monday (May 18).
Rafizi and Nik Nazmi stated they would formally write to Parliament Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul on Monday to notify him of their resignations as MPs.
"I will write officially to the Speaker to inform him of my decision to resign as MP and to vacate the Pandan parliamentary seat," Rafizi said.
Nik Nazmi also confirmed his immediate exit from the Setiawangsa seat.
"I hereby announce that I will be vacating the Setiawangsa parliamentary seat effective Monday, May 18," he said.
They said they would officially move to Parti Bersama Malaysia on Tuesday (May 19), severing their long-standing ties with PKR.
Both said they would submit their formal resignation letters to PKR secretary-general Datuk Dr Fuziah Salleh on Tuesday.
Rafizi said the decision was driven by a desire to preserve political idealism for the future, rather than personal ambition.
"Nik, myself and our colleagues are not perfect; we have many flaws and shortcomings.
"However, we have been entrusted to carry the torch of this idealism for as long as we have the strength, so that one day we can pass this torch to the next generation," said Rafizi, who is also the former economy minister.
However, both Rafizi and Nik Nazmi said they would contest their former seats in the next general election under Parti Bersama Malaysia.
Rafizi said the party would not become part of any political coalition and could therefore field candidates in any constituency of their own choosing.
When asked how many seats they would contest nationwide, Rafizi said it was still too early to decide.
"We will study the data over the next two to three months. We need to see how the rakyat respond to us," he said, adding this could be by July or August.
