KUALA LUMPUR – Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM) president Larry Sng has told suspended member Datuk Seri Zuraida Kamaruddin and her allies to quit politics and do “some soul-searching” as the crisis within the party deepens.
The Julau MP said the poor performances of Zuraida and her supporters during the recent general election clearly signal that they are no longer relevant or accepted by the constituents.
His statement comes after Zuraida rebuked Sng for contradicting a resolution by the party’s highest governing body to appoint her as president, while her close ally Haniza Talha accused him of acting unilaterally in deciding to join the unity government.
“Perhaps they should take a back seat or call it a day in politics,” Sng told The Vibes today.
“Their voters have already rejected them, which is why they lost their deposits in the 15th general election. No one is interested in their opinions anymore.”
In the recent federal polls, both Zuraida and Haniza lost their deposits in the Ampang and Hulu Selangor federal seats, respectively.
Sng is the sole parliamentary representative from PBM and has since pledged allegiance to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Earlier today, Haniza claimed that Sng had taken matters into his own hands when he decided to be part of the unity government – a decision that was purportedly made without discussing it with party members.
She said the decision was instead made in his own personal interest, and that he had used PBM as a platform to acquire influence and position at the federal level, going against the very values the party promotes.
Zuraida, meanwhile, issued a statement yesterday saying that Sng had acted against the wishes of the majority of the party grassroots, leaders, and supreme council members by abusing his authority to remain in power.
She pointed out that while her presidency of PBM has been validated through the party’s annual general assembly in early October, Sng has broken his promise to hand over the post to her.
Sng has consistently maintained that he is still the legitimate president of the party, as confirmed previously by the Registrar of Societies.
In his response to The Vibes today, the PBM president reminded Zuraida and several of her party allies that they have until the end of today to respond to a show cause letter sent to them by the disciplinary last week, failing in which they would cease to be party members.
“The party disciplinary committee is very fair and has given those (who were) suspended ample room to express their views and to clarify their position.
“On December 17, two of those suspended supreme council members had their suspension lifted after meeting the disciplinary committee.
“What is important for me is that party processes have to be done in accordance with the party constitution.”
Previously on October 29, Sng had announced that Zuraida and 12 others have been suspended effective immediately in relation to their “ongoing involvement in undermining the interest of the party and its leadership”.
The internal squabbling was reportedly resolved when Zuraida and the others were allowed to contest the general election under the party's banner.
However, last Tuesday, Sng said they have a week to respond to the show cause letters before their memberships are terminated. – The Vibes, December 26, 2022
