KUALA LUMPUR – Labuan MP Datuk Suhaili Abdul Rahman has accused Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin of seeking cheap publicity by claiming that Bersatu’s supreme council had directed him to take action against seven party representatives who defected.
Suhaili suggested that Hamzah, who is Bersatu’s secretary-general, has done nothing but engage in “empty talk” over the matter.
“I will only give a comment when he says tomorrow that he has handed the letter to the speaker (of the Dewan Rakyat), then it will have (more) news value.
“Right now, it’s useless, they are just looking for cheap publicity. They have been talking about this since March.
“(The announcements were made) before Hari Raya, after Hari Raya, right? All this talk, but in the end, nothing has changed,” he told Scoop when contacted.
He was responding to Hamzah’s recent statement that the status of six MPs and one state assemblyman from Bersatu who pledged their support for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had been decided at the council meeting last Friday.
Hamzah said that the council had instructed him, as the party’s secretary-general, to follow up on the seven representatives involved.
Suhaili noted that Hamzah’s statement was merely a decision from the council’s meeting, not from the speaker of the Dewan Rakyat.
“This is a council decision, so it’s (just) the council, not the (Federal) Constitution, not the (speaker of) the Dewan Rakyat, right?
“Why make a fuss about what happens in the council? Even PMX (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) said not to bother. We are the government, Hamzah can say whatever he wants,” Suhaili said.
Previously, Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said that the membership of Bersatu representatives who did not follow party directives would be terminated immediately.
These members include Suhaili, Datuk Syed Abu Hussin Hafiz Syed Abdul Fasal (Bukit Gantang), Mohd Azizi Abu Naim (Gua Musang), Datuk Zulkafperi Hanapi (Tanjong Karang), Zahari Kechik (Jeli), Datuk Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid (Kuala Kangsar), and Selat Klang assemblyman, Datuk Abdul Rashid Asari.
On June 8, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the status of the six Bersatu MPs will be determined by the Dewan Rakyat speaker.
Zahid said that he believes the status of these representatives will be decided in accordance with the provisions of the anti-party hopping law.
The day before, Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul said he had not received official notice from any party regarding the vacant seats involving six Bersatu MPs who had their party membership revoked. – June 10, 2024