BERSATU president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has angrily refuted a claim by the party’s Selat Kelang state assemblyman Datuk Abdul Rashid Asari that Selangor Bersatu is under the grip of a vicious “cartel”, leaving him with little choice but to support Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari of rival party PKR.
Muhyiddin responded to the allegation by suggesting that Rashid himself is the cartel in the party at the state level.
He accused Rashid of stirring up the issues to deflect attention from the judgemental error he has made in giving his backing to the state government, which is led by the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition.
Muhyiddin stressed that Bersatu exists and operates by fully complying with its constitution and has rules that must be followed.
“There is no cartel. He (Rashid) said there is a cartel, but this party operates on the basis of the constitution,” said the former prime minister.
“There are rules. Datuk Rashid is the deputy chairman of the state liaison committee (of Bersatu). If there is a cartel, it means that he (himself) is the cartel.”
“Where is the cartel? Don’t look for excuses when you have committed a big mistake by accusing the party of such a thing. It is an irresponsible act,” he added.
Muhyiddin was speaking to reporters after he had submitted the party’s proposed amendment of its constitution to the Registrar of Societies (ROS) in Putrajaya today.
Earlier this morning, Utusan Malaysia had reported Rashid as saying that Selangor Bersatu had become controlled by a “cartel group” led by individuals who had “just joined the party a day or two ago”.
He said this was among the reasons that he had shifted his support towards Amirudin in the state assembly.
Rashid had announced his backing for Amirudin’s administration on March 6.
He said that he was doing so without any coercion and expressed confidence that the move would benefit the people of Selat Kelang as it contributes to making a stable government.
He thus became the seventh Bersatu lawmaker at both parliamentary and state levels to express support for the unity government alliance, which includes PH and Barisan Nasional (BN).
Prior to this, six Bersatu MPs had expressed their support for the leadership of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
They are Datuk Zulkafperi Hanapi (Tanjong Karang), Zahari Kechik (Jeli), Mohd Azizi Abu Naim (Gua Musang), Datuk Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid (Kuala Kangsar), Datuk Suhaili Abdul Rahman (Labuan), and Datuk Syed Abu Hussin Hafiz Syed Abdul Fasal (Bukit Gantang).
Touching on the submission made to the ROS, Muhyiddin hoped that there would be no obstacles or resistance from the body to approve the party’s proposed amendment.
He said that it was made in a proper and orderly manner, and that it reflects the wish of the party members, who approved it in the party’s general assembly.
“We have done it according to the procedures and regulations required by ROS,” he said, asking the registrar to process it as soon as possible.
On March 2, Bersatu had approved making an amendment to the party's constitution as a way to prevent its elected representatives from shifting their support towards rivals.
The decision was made during the party’s extraordinary general assembly. The Bersatu delegates present unanimously supported the motion to amend Article 10 of the party's constitution. – The Vibes, March 11, 2024.
