KOTA KINABALU – The four MPs from Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) have no need to vacate their seats as they had already resigned from Bersatu earlier, said former law minister Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.
In a clarification made tonight, he said various reliable sources told him today that the four MPs had resigned from the party in early October this year.
This means their resignation happened before they contested in the general election on November 19.
“In which case, I have to agree with constitutional lawyer Tengku Fuad Ahmad that the anti-party hopping law does (not) affect them.
“In the recent 15th general election (GE15), these MPs contested under the GRS banner.
“The party’s pact with Bersatu ended in early October this year, before the election took place.
“As such, they did not breach the anti-party hopping law of the federal constitution,” he said in a statement.
Wan Junaidi was reported as saying yesterday that the four MPs must vacate their seats in the Dewan Rakyat if their resignations are accepted.
He said it did not matter whether the four MPs ran on a GRS ticket or represented another coalition. Their departure from their party was the only relevant factor, he said.
Tengku Fuad had also said yesterday that the 15 Bersatu Sabah assemblymen quitting the party does not affect the position of GRS chairman Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor as the chief minister.
He said the GRS-Barisan Nasional pact remains intact with 46 assemblymen, and, in addition, seven Sabah Pakatan Harapan (PH) reps have expressed support to Hajiji as the chief minister.
Hajiji had announced that the leaders of Sabah Bersatu had unanimously quit the party on December 10.
They remain GRS members until their new party is formed.
Initially, GRS was an alliance comprising Sabah Bersatu, Sabah STAR, Sabah Progressive Party, Parti Bersatu Sabah, and the United Sabah National Organisation.
GRS won six seats in the election, with four of them via Bersatu in GE15.
Two of the MPs were appointed into federal posts. They are Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali (Sabah and Sarawak affairs) and Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan (deputy tourism, arts and culture minister). – The Vibes, December 12, 2022
