KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s opposition Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia has expelled a Member of Parliament (MP) and suspended another for disciplinary breaches in the latest sign of internal unrest.
Four other members who are division chiefs have also been expelled, the party’s disciplinary board announced on Tuesday (Oct 14).
The board said other party members had lodged a written complaint against the individuals for violating the party’s constitution and code of ethics, Malaysian media outlets reported.
The party investigated and summoned the respondents for a hearing on Oct 8, before imposing the “disciplinary action” in line with the party’s constitution, the board said in a statement.
The expelled MP is Wan Saiful Wan Jan (Tasek Gelugor) and the suspended MP is Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal (Machang). Both are also part of the 20-member supreme council of the party.
The four expelled division chiefs are Azrudin Idris (Hang Tuah Jaya), Faizal Asmar (Pengerang), Fadhli Ismail (Ipoh Timur) and Isa Saidi (Ampang).
The disciplinary action was reportedly linked to an effort to gather statutory declarations aimed at challenging Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin’s leadership, as well as a commotion during the party’s national convention.
At Bersatu’s annual general meeting on Sep 6, some delegates had heckled Muhyiddin with calls to step down during his keynote speech. Muhyiddin’s supporters responded by calling on him to stay on. The commotion culminated in a brief scuffle and police investigations.
The board said the penalised individuals may appeal the decision within 14 days.
Following his suspension, Wan Ahmad Fayhsal alleged that some members of the board have potential conflict of interest due to their links to the party leadership.
He said that he had previously asked for the board to be reconstituted.
“But that did not happen. In fact, when we were summoned to appear before the disciplinary board, the complainant was not even present. So tell me, is this what they call the gold standard of justice?” he said at a press conference on Tuesday, as reported by news outlet New Straits Times.
Political analysts told CNA last month that warring factions within Bersatu could undermine its pick of Muhyiddin as candidate for prime minister ahead of Malaysia’s next general election due by 2028.
The infighting could be exploited by Bersatu’s opponents in the federal government, and even by its coalition partner Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) to assert more control in the opposition Perikatan Nasional (PN) pact ahead of the next general election, they said.
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