THE country’s political landscape was thrown into fresh uncertainty after former PKR deputy president Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli and former PKR vice-president Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad officially resigned as Members of Parliament for Pandan and Setiawangsa on Monday.
This paves the way for the beginning of a new political chapter under Parti Bersama Malaysia (Malaysian United Party (MUP) or Bersama.
In a joint statement issued today, both leaders confirmed that they had submitted resignation letters to Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat Tan Sri Johari Abdul, formally relinquishing their parliamentary seats following their decision to pursue what they described as a “new political agenda”.
“Earlier today, we submitted a letter to the Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat, Tan Sri Johari Abdul, to inform him of our resignation as Members of Parliament.
“With this, we are vacating the parliamentary seats of Pandan and Setiawangsa following our intention to explore a new political agenda,” the statement said.
The move comes just days after both politicians announced plans to assume leadership of Bersama, a development widely viewed as one of the most significant political realignments since the 15th General Election.
Rafizi and Nik Nazmi said resigning from Parliament was the “proper and honourable” course of action as both had originally been elected under the Pakatan Harapan banner during the last general election.
“The proper and honourable step is to return the mandate to the voters in the parliamentary constituencies of Pandan and Setiawangsa, considering that we were elected under the Pakatan Harapan ticket in the previous general election,” they said.
The resignations are expected to intensify political tensions within PKR and the broader unity government coalition, particularly after the pair openly declared their intention to continue contesting the same parliamentary seats under the Bersama platform in the next election.
“We would like to express our deepest gratitude to the voters of Pandan and Setiawangsa who chose us to represent them in Parliament for two terms.
“Our service centres will continue operating as usual to provide assistance and services to constituents.
“We will also contest again in the Pandan and Setiawangsa parliamentary seats under the BERSAMA platform in the coming election,” the statement added.
The decision marks a dramatic escalation in the split between the two senior politicians and PKR’s current leadership, with both figures increasingly positioning themselves as advocates of a new political alternative outside the existing coalition framework.
Political observers are now closely watching whether the resignations will trigger broader defections or reshape opposition and reformist politics ahead of Malaysia’s next general election. - May 18, 2026
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