KUALA LUMPUR – The Selangor legislative assembly has not received any notification on the termination of the Selat Klang assemblyman’s Bersatu membership, said Speaker Lau Weng San.
No such letter – whether from Datuk Abdul Rashid Asari who was elected as the seat’s assemblyman nor from Bersatu – has been received by the speaker’s office, Lau confirmed to Scoop when contacted.
Article LXVA(1) of the Selangor constitution states that a member of the state legislature must vacate their seat in the event of resignation from their political party, if they cease to be its member, or if they jump to another party.
Clause 3 of the same article also allows the state assembly speaker to establish a vacancy if there is a written notice on a vacant seat.
In March, Rashid, the former Selangor Bersatu chief, pledged his support for Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari but did not leave the party.
He and six MPs from the Bersatu were recently stripped of their memberships after they failed to obey a directive to declare loyalty to the party.
With this, Bersatu is attempting to have them vacate their seats.
However, the federal anti-hopping law does not require a seat vacancy if an elected representative is sacked by their party but a seat becomes vacant if a lawmaker resigns or ceases to be a member of the party.
Earlier today, the Nenggiri seat in Kelantan was declared officially vacant by state assembly Speaker Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah after receiving notices on the terminated membership of Mohd Azizi Abu Naim who was elected as assemblyman.
Article 31A of the Kelantan constitution deems a seat in the legislative assembly vacant if the assemblyman resigns or is expelled from his party.
The Kelantan speaker must now notify the Election Commission (EC) within 21 days from the date he received the notice, and a by-election must be held within 60 days from the date the EC received the vacancy notice from the speaker.
Azizi, who is also Gua Mustang MP, had declared support for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim but did not leave Bersatu.
Other MPs from the party who did the same and have since had their memberships terminated are Datuk Syed Abu Hussin Hafiz Syed Abdul Fasal (Bukit Gantang MP), Datuk Zulkafperi Hanapi (Tg Karang MP), Datuk Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid (Kuala Kangsar MP), Datuk Suhaili Abdul Rahman (Labuan MP), and Zahari Kechik (Jeli MP). – June 19, 2024