KUALA LUMPUR – Kuala Langat Parliament member (MP) Datuk Dr Xavier Jayakumar says there is no need to ask why he picked Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM) over Bersatu or any of the Barisan Nasional component parties.
He told Utusan Malaysia that joining PBM was “his choice” and did not want to comment further.
“No need to ask me why I did not pick other parties. It is my choice, that’s all. I don’t have another answer.
“Now, what we know is that the general election is getting closer,” he was quoted as saying.
Last Saturday, Xavier and Segamat MP Datuk Seri Edmund Santhara Kumar were unveiled as the newest MPs to join PBM at the end of the party’s annual general meeting (AGM) in Shah Alam.
President-designate Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin also teased that PBM was in the process of vetting two Negri Sembilan assemblymen who applied to join the party.
With Santhara and Xavier in PBM, the party now has six MPs – Zuraida (Ampang), party president Larry Sng (Julau), Steven Choong (Tebrau) and Datuk Mohamaddin Ketapi (Lahad Datu), all of whom defected from other parties.
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).
Meanwhile, PBM president Sng sought to clarify that he still leads the party, after a news article reported that Zuraida is president after the AGM.
He said while Zuraida is president-designate, due process needs to take place before an official handover.
“Just to be clear, if elections are held before the transition is complete, I will still sign the watikah (authorisation letter) for PBM candidates in GE15,” he posted on his Facebook page yesterday.
Zuraida, who is Plantation Industries and Commodities minister, was announced as PBM’s president-designate on June 9.
PBM is waiting for approval to officially join BN as a component party. – The Vibes, October 3, 2022
