Dr M, four others not sacked, but had membership nullified – Bersatu sec-gen

KUALA LUMPUR: Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) secretary-general Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin yesterday stressed that former Bersatu chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and four other Members of Parliament (MPs) were not sacked by the party but had their membership automatically nullified for breaching the party constitution.

Hamzah said the membership of Dr Mahathir, Bersatu deputy president Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir, supreme council member Dr Maszlee Malik, Armada (Youth) chief Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman and Datuk Amiruddin Hamzah had automatically ceased after they sat with the opposition bloc in Parliament on May 18.

“I was saddened when Tun Dr Mahathir and four other Bersatu MPs decided not to be with the government bloc during the Parliament sitting on May 18.

“This matter was not only stated in their own application letters but also demonstrated by their sitting in the bloc which did not support the government during the Parliament meeting,” he told a news conference at the Bersatu headquarters here.

He said that according to the party constitution, one's membership will be automatically nullified under Clause 10.2.2 if the person declares his exit from the party and under Clause 10.2.3 for joining or becoming a member of another political party.

Hamzah said the party had also received many complaints of misconduct against these five leaders, including Dr Mahathir for announcing that he would remain with Pakatan Harapan (PH) after the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government was formed under the leadership of Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.