KUALA LUMPUR, May 10 — Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has insisted that two elected lawmakers who effectively defected previously have finally lost their membership for supporting the Pakatan Harapan campaign in Kuala Kubu Baru.
He said no political party in the country allowed its members to share a stage with political rivals and deliver speeches against it.
“Think about it, is it logical? Based on our constitution, his actions would see his membership terminated,” he was quoted as saying by Free Malaysia Today.
“We have experts and the Bersatu constitution,” he added.
In the past week, Tanjong Karang MP Datuk Zulkafperi Hanafi and Selat Klang assemblyman Datuk Abdul Rashid Asari were seen campaigning for Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) candidate for the Kuala Kubu Baru by-election, Pang Sock Tao, with the latest being last night when Zulkafperi urged voters to vote for the unity government.
Abdul Rashid reportedly said that he was not worried about getting expelled as his actions do not violate the party's constitution.
Yesterday, Bersatu secretary-general Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin confirmed that Abdul Rashid and Zulkafperi have automatically lost their party membership and must vacate their seats as a result of their stunts.
Hamzah, who is also the Larut MP, said letters on the two expulsions will be issued after the supreme council meeting next week.
The two are among the seven Bersatu lawmakers that crossed the aisle and stated support for the PH-Barisan Nasional pact.
The other five Bersatu MPs who expressed their support for Anwar were Labuan MP Datuk Suhaili Abdul Rahman, Datuk Syed Abu Hussin Hafiz Syed Abdul Fasal, Zahari Kechik (Jeli), Mohd Azizi Abu Naim (Gua Musang), Datuk Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid (Kuala Kangsar).
The group were able to retain their seats due to a loophole in the constitutional amendment against political defections.
On March 2, Bersatu successfully amended the party's constitution to prevent its representatives from defecting in the future, with the change also accepted by the Registrar of Societies.
