Bersatu sec-gen sacks party leader who notified Dr Mahathir and co of their removal

KUALA  LUMPUR, May 28 — Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) secretary-general Datuk Marzuki Yahya today relieved party leader Muhammad Suhaimi Yahya of his party post, due to the latter’s alleged breaching of party rules by sending out membership termination letters to Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and four others.

In a brief letter dated today, Marzuki informed Suhaimi that he is now sacked from his party position as organising secretary with immediate effect over the “breach of work ethics” and breach of PPBM’s party constitution.

Marzuki said the breach occurred as Suhaimi bypassed him as the party secretary-general in issuing the letters to Dr Mahathir and the four others, noting that Suhaimi had “made decisions regarding the administration of the party and had issued letters to sack members without my knowledge and without referring to me first as the valid party headquarters’ chief administrator and party secretary-general”.

Marzuki went on to cite PPBM’s party constitution’s Article 8.11 which states that all matters regarding party membership falls under the secretary-general’s jurisdiction, and Articles 16.6.3 and 16.6.5 which list the administration of party headquarters and matters on the management of party membership and registration of members as being part of the secretary-general’s duties.

The sacking of Suhaimi is the latest twist to PPBM’s abrupt notification of the sacking of five MPs, including its founder Dr Mahathir.

This evening shortly before 7pm, Bersatu’s Suhaimi released five individual letters addressed to Dr Mahathir who had previously asserted that he was still party chairman; his son and party deputy president and also Jerlun MP, Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir; Kubang Pasu MP Datuk Amiruddin Hamzah; party Youth chief and Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman; and Simpang Renggam MP Maszlee Malik.

In the five letters, Bersatu informed the five that their party membership had ceased with immediate effect, due to their decision to sit in the federal Opposition bloc during the May 18 Dewan Rakyat proceedings instead of the government bloc with MPs supporting the Perikatan Nasional administration led by prime minister and Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

Bersatu cited Articles 10.2.2 and 10.2.3 of the party constitution to justify the decision to end the five’s membership, with the two provisions respectively stating that a party member’s membership will cease immediately if they declare that they quit the party or if they join or become a member of any other political parties in the country.

Prior to Marzuki’s letter being made public, the five MPs said their removal from PPBM via letters from an unauthorised person was wrongful and illegal.

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