KOTA BARU: Bersatu is technically no longer a member of Perikatan Nasional, despite remaining a legal member of the coalition, says coalition secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan (pic).
He said the distinction took into account of Bersatu’s decision to use its own logo instead of the Perikatan emblem in the event a general election is called.
“Legally, they are still a member, but technically, they are not. I say ‘technically’ because they no longer want to use the Perikatan logo and prefer to use their own,” he told a press conference after a political talk here on Saturday.
He said Perikatan had not taken any formal action against Bersatu but its leadership was assessing the most appropriate course of action, Sinar Harian reported.
He said the coalition’s constitution provided for disciplinary action against member parties, including suspension, dismissal or removal, in cases involving disciplinary violations.
“In a coalition, disciplinary action is taken against member parties, just as individual parties like Umno or PAS take action against individual members,” he said.
Takiyuddin said Bersatu’s decision could complicate the coalition’s operations and indicated that the party intended to move away from Perikatan.
Citing remarks by PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang, he said contesting under an individual party logo could politically be regarded as equivalent to leaving the coalition.
He added that Perikatan had previously allowed Bersatu to contest under the coalition’s banner, including in the Johor election, where Bersatu contested 16 seats, despite political cooperation between the two parties having already fractured.
