KUALA LUMPUR, May 29 — Disputed Bersatu chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad arrived at the party’s headquarters in Petaling Jaya this afternoon, daring the party’s officials to personally tell him that he has been expelled as a member.
The former prime minister posted a Facebook video of him entering the Bersatu headquarters and the office of the chairman.
“I am at the Bersatu headquarters. They say they want to expel me, I am waiting at the office,” he said as a caption to the post.
Yesterday, Bersatu organising secretary Muhammad Suhaimi Yahya sent letters of termination to Dr Mahathir, Bersatu deputy president Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir, Kubang Pasu MP Datuk Amiruddin Hamzah, Bersatu Youth chief Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, and Simpang Renggam MP Maszlee Malik.
In it, he informed the five that their memberships were terminated as they sat in the Opposition bench during the May 18 parliamentary meeting when Bersatu was part of the ruling coalition.
This prompted disputed Bersatu secretary-general Datuk Marzuki Yahya to issue a termination letter to Muhammad Suhaimi for violating the party’s rules in the sacking.
Bersatu split in two after the February political crisis following Dr Mahathir’s resignation as the prime minister and the party’s chairman.
Despite the Bersatu supreme council’s rejection of his resignation at the time, the party’s leaders insist that Dr Mahathir has no executive powers until he is officially reinstated in the position.
The party also has two secretaries-general, having installed Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin in the position after removing Marzuki from the role.
However, Marzuki from Dr Mahathir’s camp has refused to acknowledge this and continues to issue statements as the Bersatu secretary-general.
Prior to Dr Mahathir’s appearance at the Bersatu headquarters today, his lawyer Mohamed Haniff Khatri Abdulla sent an objection letter to the Registrar of Societies to dispute the expulsions and warned the party of legal action if the matter was upheld.
Coincidentally, Hamzah is scheduled to hold a press conference at the Bersatu head office at 4pm today.
