KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 1 — Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) today said that it will mobilise any method and act within the scope of legislation and politics to ensure that some parliamentary seats belonging to the party are vacated as stipulated in the anti-party hopping law.
Its supreme council member Dr Afif Bahardin also slammed the statement issued by Labuan MP Datuk Suhaili Abdul Rahman who challenged the party to fire him for expressing support for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
“The parliamentary seats such as Labuan, Kuala Kangsar, Bukit Gantang, Gua Musang, Tanah Merah and Tanjung Karang must be vacated to pave the way for by-elections soon.
“We at Bersatu challenge him to immediately vacate the Labuan Parliament seat because the fact is that Bersatu has many other figures capable of representing and looking after the welfare of the people of Labuan,” he said in a statement this morning.
He also said that the party is ready to face various forms of pressure and intimidation from the administration of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition government.
Dr Afif who was newly appointed to the Bersatu supreme council vowed to play a role in strengthening the direction and foundation of the party’s struggle as well as continuing to champion the people’s issues, especially in the agenda of defending the welfare of the people and developing policies for the future security of young people in this country.
“Bersatu within the framework of Perikatan Nasional will continue to lead the party to represent and defend the Bumiputera community and all Malaysians regardless of race and religion.
“With the union of Bersatu leaders and members, my friends and I will mobilise an initiative to reach out to young people, especially among young professionals and students, to clarify the principles of the party’s struggle and introduce the young leadership figures in Bersatu to the community,” he said.
He added that this outreach initiative aims to foster increased participation among young professionals and students in Bersatu’s unwavering struggle for the nation.
Last month, Suhaili challenged the party to sack all its MPs who expressed support for Anwar.
Suhaili, suspended for six years effective last November by Bersatu, was one of the party’s six MPs who openly supported Anwar because it would make it easier for them to get help for the people in their constituencies.
The other five Bersatu MPs who expressed their support for Anwar were Datuk Syed Abu Hussin Hafiz Syed Abdul Fasal, Zahari Kechik (Jeli), Mohd Azizi Abu Naim (Gua Musang), Datuk Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid (Kuala Kangsar) and Datuk Zulkafperi Hanafi (Tanjong Karang).
