KUALA LUMPUR – Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM) president Larry Sng has reiterated that he is in charge of the party as Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin would only succeed him at a “suitable time”.
In a Facebook post today, Sng said he has yet to resign, be sacked, or leave the party, so there is no vacancy for the president post.
PBM’s month-long internal drama comes less than a year after the party was formalised. Sng last night suspended president-designate Zuraida and 12 supreme council members.
Sng today said he indicated his intention during the party’s annual general meeting (AGM) on October 1 for Zuraida to succeed him at a “suitable time” in the near future.
However, issues cropped up, he said, after a notice of a supreme council meeting was issued on October 5 without his approval as well as subsequent statements by PBM secretary-general referring to Zuraida as president.
He added that the said supreme council meeting, which did not meet the required quorum, was chaired by deputy president Haniza Mohamed Talha and attended by some council members, “but largely (comprised) party members who are not recognised as council members by the Registrar of Societies”.
“Since that meeting, the secretary-general (Nor Hizwan Ahmad) has issued statements alleging that Zuraida has been appointed as the new president.
“There is no such provision in the party constitution that allows for the removal of the president or any elected supreme council members unless it was done so in the AGM, which did not take place.
“It was also decided in that invalid meeting that the secretary-general is appointed to represent the party in signing the watikah (appointment letters) for candidates during the general election. This clearly usurps the power of the president, as I have in the past been the sole signatory to sign the watikah for all our candidates in (the) Johor (election).”
Sng reiterated that the suspension of Zuraida, Hizwan, Haniza, information chief Zakaria Abdul Hamid and other supreme council members was due to their actions which “plunged the party into disrepute and caused much uncertainty over the legitimately elected office of the president and acted against the interest of the party delegates”.
“The wishes of the party delegates at our extraordinary general meeting in January 2022 in Sibu, Sarawak, who have elected the party leadership line-up, must be respected.”
Yesterday Hizwan said Sng had recognised the legitimacy of Zuraida’s position as party president numerous times through WhatsApp when dealing with her or any PBM supreme council members.
On Thursday, Sng had asserted that he would be in charge of naming PBM’s GE15 candidates and suspended Hizwan and Zakaria with immediate effect.
Sng and Zuraida were from PKR, but left the party. Sng did so to become an independent MP before forming PBM, while Zuraida joined Bersatu, which she later quit for PBM. – The Vibes, October 29, 2022
