KUCHING, Oct 28 — Parti Bangsa Malaysia’s (PBM) leadership crisis appears to have deepened tonight, with the suspension of Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin’s party membership with immediate effect today.
Party president Datuk Larry Sng also suspended 12 other leaders from their positions on the party’s supreme council.
He named them as Haniza Mohamad Taha, Dr Daroyah Alwi, Rahimah Majid, Dr Sathiskumar Govindaraju, Muhammad Saiful Bahari Sahari, Na’im Brundage, Abdul Aziz Abdul Kadir, Zakaria Abdul Rahim, Muniraa Abu Bakar, Datuk Chua Lian Chye, Datuk Roger Tan Seng Huat and Albakri Salim.
“Their letters of suspension have been sent to them individually,” Sng said in a statement late tonight.
He said he made the decision to act against them in accordance with Article 60 (iii) of the party constitution.
“The decision is in relation to their ongoing involvement in undermining the interest of the party and its leadership,” Sng said.
He said he strongly despises and condemns such political manoeuvring which has undermined the trust in his leadership and caused much confusion among party members and the public at large.
“As such, their positions will be suspended until a disciplinary committee is set up to look into the matter after the election,” he added.
He said the supreme council meeting will meet this Sunday in Sarikei, Sarawak, at 4pm in view of the urgency of this matter, to discuss and settle the issue immediately.
“I shall be exercising the provision of Article 21 (ii) of the party constitution to allow the meeting to be held less than the required seven days’ notice.
“Those who have been suspended will not be invited to attend the meeting,” he said.
On Wednesday, Sng issued a statement insisting that he is still the PBM president and the only one able to sign off on a letter announcing the party’s candidates for the 15th general election.
He denied ever resigning as PBM president nor relinquishing his membership.
He added that all previous announcements about the party presidency made by other PBM leaders were mere speculation.
On October 8, the party’s secretary-general Nor Hizwan Ahmad had announced that then plantation, industries and commodities minister Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin had replaced Sng as the new president of PBM.
He had said PBM supreme council in a meeting on October 7 confirmed seven motions that were unanimously approved.
He said among the motions that were unanimously accepted was to appoint Zuraida as the president.
In response, Sng froze the membership of Hizwan Ahmad and party information chief Zakaria Abdul Hamid yesterday.
He said the decision to suspend them was due to the PBM supreme council meeting held on October 7 without his knowledge and instruction as party president.
