Two Negri Sembilan assemblymen to join PBM: Zuraida

SHAH ALAM – Two assemblymen from Negri Sembilan will soon join Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM) pending the party’s approval, said president-designate Datuk Seri Zuraida Kamaruddin.

She revealed this during a press conference today following PBM’s inaugural general assembly, adding that the party is still “looking at a few minor details” before admitting the two state lawmakers.

Pressed for more information on the identity and current parties of these two lawmakers, Zuraida would not elaborate further.

Negri Sembilan, which is led by a Pakatan Harapan (PH) government, has 36 members in its assembly.

PH has 20 seats, giving it a very slim majority over its rivals.

Zuraida earlier announced two new MPs joining PBM today – namely, Segamat MP Datuk Seri Edmund Santhara and Kuala Langat MP Dr Xavier Jayakumar – and added that two state assemblymen would also be joining the party.

“The other two lawmakers are assemblymen from Negri Sembilan, however, the party is still looking at a few minor details,” she told the press conference.

PBM’s current assemblymen, gained through party-hopping, are A. Sivasubramaniam (Buntong), Paul Yong Choo Kiong (Tronoh), Leong Cheok Keng (Malim Nawar), Haniza Mohamed Talha (Lembah Jaya) and Daroyah Alwi (Sementa).

PH-led Negri Sembilan and Selangor were states that did not change hands after the Sheraton Move in 2020 that led to the collapse of the PH federal government.

Of PH’s 20 state seats in Negri Sembilan, DAP holds 11, PKR 6 and Amanah 3.

Barisan Nasional, meanwhile, has 15 held by Umno and 1 by MIC.

With a simple majority of 19 required, PH will lose the state government if the two lawmakers said to be joining PBM are from its ranks.

In August, Negri Sembilan PH chairman Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun, who is also menteri besar, said the state assembly may not be dissolved along with Parliament for an early 15th general election.

Aminuddin has said not dissolving the state assembly would be for the PH presidential council to decide. – The Vibes, October 1, 2022