KUALA LUMPUR, Mar 1 — Two more leaders from Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) have abandoned their party, with one of them hopping parties twice before settling on Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s Parti Pejuang Tanahair (Pejuang). 

A report by online portal Malaysiakini revealed that Amanah’s former Pahang chief Hamzah Jaafar quit his party back in July 2020, subsequently joining fellow Pakatan Harapan allies PKR briefly, before switching allegiance to Pejuang. 

Current Pahang Amanah chief Zulkifli Mohamed was quoted in the report as confirming Hamzah’s departure from the party, saying he was then informed last year of Hamzah’s inclusion into PKR by his Pahang counterpart Fuziah Salleh. 

The report then quoted an unnamed Amanah party source, who confirmed Hamzah’s route from Amanah to PKR, before settling on Pejuang. 

"Initially, he wanted to join PKR but after meeting Pejuang chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad, he decided on Pejuang,” the party insider was quoted in the report. 

Interestingly, Hamzah was revealed as Pejuang’s Pahang chief in a statement released by the party yesterday. 

Malaysiakini today also reported Amanah communications director Khalid Samad as being unaware of Hamzah’s departure from the party. 

The Shah Alam MP was quoted in the report saying he was only aware of Hamzah being enticed to join PKR, but was in the dark about his actual departure. 

Amanah Pahang’s Zulkifli then explained that Khalid might have been outside the loop as things were not done out in the open. 

"I understand that YB (Khalid) may not know, since Hamzah did not make his exit from Amanah public,” Zulkifli was quoted saying in the report.

Additionally, Amanah Kedah Youth leader Ahmad Syauqi Al Abrar Saifuddin also announced his departure from the party, through a Facebook post yesterday. 

"After being kicked out by party colleagues only for having differing political views, I, Ahmad Syauqi Al Abrar Saifuddin, Amanah membership number 0000338, with this announce my intention to relinquish all my posts within the party and to quit Parti Amanah Negara with immediate effect. 

"My official letter will be sent in as soon as possible...I want to say thank you to Parti Amanah Negara for all my involvement with this party,” he wrote. 

This after three Johor Amanah assemblymen Amanah joined PKR over alleged dissatisfaction with their former party’s state leadership last week. 

The trio include Senggarang assemblyman Khairuddin A. Rahim, Muhamad Said Jonit (Mahkota) and Faizul Amri Adnan (Serom). 

Last year, two Selangor assemblymen from Amanah — Mohd Fakhrulrazi Mohd Mokhtar (Meru) and Ahmad Mustain Othman (Sabak) — also joined PKR.