[UPDATED] PBM names Zuraida president-designate, de facto leader

AMPANG – Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin, who has just been accepted as a member of Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM), has also been named the party’s president-designate and de facto leader effective immediately.

The matter was decided and agreed unanimously by the party’s political bureau and supreme council today, said president Larry Sng in a press conference today.

He said Zuraida has also been given the mandate to lead the party, including in negotiations with other political parties on the possibilities of forming coalitions. 

“In my absence, the president-designate will take charge of the party. We have also decided she will lead PBM. We have given her the mandate to lead discussions with other party leaders.”

According to Sng, the decision to appoint Zuraida as president-designate was made following strong requests from grassroot members.

He added that the supreme council will meet once again in the near future to discuss amendments to the party’s constitution that would allow for a swift leadership transition to take place. 

“This matter of transition will take its course. We have already discussed and are preparing for an emergency general meeting maybe in two months time. We will make an announcement soon.”

On May 26, Zuraida dropped a bombshell after announcing that she had decided to quit Bersatu to join PBM, before formally applying as a member of the latter on the same day, following months of rumours.

Her exit from Bersatu has led to further speculations that more would abandon the party to join her in fledgling PBM. 

Sng, who is Julau MP, said he is aware of interest shown by other lawmakers in joining PBM, but any announcement will be made in a separate forum once there is confirmation. 

“Our membership is open to anyone who is eligible. We are not closing our doors to anybody. In fact, in our meeting earlier, we decided that should any leaders apply to join, we won’t make it difficult for them.” 

He was asked if the party is open to accepting former PKR members who were part of Zuraida’s faction, which quit the party for Bersatu during the infamous Sheraton Move in February 2020.  

At present, PBM has received some 300,000 membership applications to date, with more than 100,000 officially confirmed. 

On whether Zuraida will defend her Ampang seat in the coming general election, Sng said the matter will be confirmed at a later time, including which seats PBM would contest. 

Zuraida has been Ampang MP since making her electoral debut in 2008, holding the seat for three consecutive terms when contesting under the PKR banner. – The Vibes, June 9, 2022