KUALA LUMPUR – Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM) is expecting three more Parliament members (MPs) and two assemblymen to join it, president-designate Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin said today.
Speaking in Johor Baru, she said PBM would then have a total of 14 MPs and assemblymen when the 15th general election is called.
She would not name the party or parties of the elected representatives expected to join PBM.
The party currently has four MPs, namely Zuraida in the Ampang seat, PBM president Larry Sng (Julau), Steven Choong (Tebrau) and Datuk Mohamaddin Ketapi (Lahad Datu).
“God-willing, we will have incumbents contesting in seven parliamentary seats,” Zuraida was quoted saying by The Star at a PBM event.
PBM was formed last year after Sng quit PKR, first to become an independent lawmaker, before starting the new party.
None of the seats PBM holds had won on its own merits – besides Sng, Zuraida had hopped from PKR to Bersatu and then PBM, while Choong had also quit PKR to be an independent MP before joining PBM.
Meanwhile, Mohamaddin has recently joined the party after quitting Bersatu.
Zuraida, also plantation industries and commodities minister, said two more assemblymen were expected to join PBM, giving it seven state representatives.
PBM’s current assemblymen, also 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).
Last month, Parliament passed the anti-hopping law which has also received royal assent but has yet to come into force.
The law, essentially amendments to the federal constitution, prevents lawmakers from changing parties as they will have to vacate their seats.
Exceptions are for lawmakers who are fired from their parties, or if a party is disbanded or cancels its registration. – The Vibes, September 10, 2022
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