KOTA KINABALU, Jan 3 — The four Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) MPs have explained to the Dewan Rakyat Speaker why they had not breached the anti-party hopping laws, said GRS chairman Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
He said that despite what Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) was claiming, GRS knew what was required under the law, and was confident that the Speaker would make the right decision in their favour.
“Our four GRS MPs have replied and sent their petition to the Speaker. There is lots of speculation from others, but internally, we know what we are doing.
“I know the Speaker will make the right decision because they have not contravened the anti-hopping law,” he said.
Hajiji spoke to the media after distributing aid to villagers in Kampung Tanjung Aru Baru here who were affected by high tides that destroyed or damaged their homes built over the water.
The four GRS MPs who were previously with Bersatu but contested on a GRS ticket are Minister in the Prime Ministers’ Department Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali (Papar), Deputy Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan (Batu Sapi), Datuk Matbali Musah (Sipitang) and Datuk Jonathan Yassin (Ranau).
All four MPs has stated that they were GRS direct members when they contested the elections, and as such, they were not representing Bersatu.
Bersatu vice-president Datuk Ronald Kiandee had last week said that Bersatu sent a petition seeking vacancy for the four seats as the MPs were Bersatu members and contested GE15 while with the party, and under the GRS logo, which included Bersatu.
Kiandee claimed that the four MPs were among Sabah Bersatu leaders led by Hajiji who left the party last month. The four automatically ran afoul of the anti-hopping law for MPs.
