BANTING, April 15 — Ampang MP Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin today claimed that the RM10 million lawsuit served on her is a way to test the waters before pursuing the case against other former PKR MPs who party hopped.
“The update on that, because I think we have sent our affidavit, and they (PKR) have given their response, and then we sent another reply, and now we are waiting.
“Nothing at the moment. So far, they have only done it to me alone. So to the others, they have not yet done. So they are just testing on me first,” the housing and local government minister said, when asked for updates on the lawsuit against her.
In October last year, PKR secretary-general Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail initiated a lawsuit on his party’s behalf against Zuraida, to demand RM10 million from a bond signed in 2018 to safeguard against defections.
PKR treasurer general Lee Chean Chung said the party will also pursue similar legal action against other lawmakers who defected after winning on PKR’s ticket during the 2018 election.
According to Lee, the bond signed ahead of the 2018 general election held that candidates contesting under PKR’s banner acknowledged that this would come at a “substantial” cost to the party.
Aside from Zuraida, other lawmakers who quit the party alongside her include Datuk Seri Azmin Ali, Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, Kamaruddin Jaafar, Datuk Dr Mansor Othman, Mohd Rashid Hasnon, Edmund Santhara Kumar Ramanaidu, Ali Biju, Willie Mongin, Muhd Hilman Idham, Muhd Jailani Khamis, Chong Fat Full, and most recently, Kuala Langat MP Datuk Dr Xavier Jayakumar.
In a joint statement issued by the 10 MPs who quit PKR in February last year, the group said PKR can no longer claim to champion the principles of public justice and welfare.
They claimed the party has lost its idealism and gone astray largely because of one man’s insatiable lust for power and ambition to become prime minister.
The group said it was most unfortunate that there were leaders and party members who have held fast to the original principles and idealism of the party only to find themselves sidelined and victimised by the powers that be.
