KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 14): Tasek Gelugor Member of Parliament Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan and Machang MP Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal said they remain loyal to Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) despite disciplinary action taken against them by the party.
Wan Saiful, who was expelled, said both he and Wan Fayhsal — who was suspended — remain committed to the party’s struggle.
“This is a party we helped build together with grassroots members and division leaders who have sacrificed a lot to strengthen it. So we will stay for now and go through the party’s internal process,” Wan Saiful said at a press conference on Tuesday, with Wan Fayhsal by his side.
Earlier, Bersatu announced that it had expelled Wan Saiful and suspended Wan Fayhsal’s membership for one term. Four other division chiefs were also sacked for violating the party’s constitution and code of ethics, though the statement did not specify details of their alleged offences. All six have 14 days to appeal the decision.
Wan Saiful said they will review the disciplinary board’s decision and consider further action, including whether to file an appeal.
However, he stressed that Bersatu and the opposition coalition of Perikatan Nasional (PN) “do not belong to any one individual or family” and should not be used as a platform for personal or familial gain.
Wan Fayhsal, meanwhile, criticised the disciplinary board’s decision as “rushed justice”, questioning the wisdom of such a move when the party is gearing up for the upcoming Sabah state election and several other polls.
Both MPs also noted that the disciplinary process had moved unusually quickly — from the initial complaint on Sept 18 to the verdict issued within a month — which Wan Saiful described as “super-efficient”.
Nevertheless, both declined to disclose details of the “internal issues”, insisting they would address them through the party’s internal mechanisms.
Bersatu has recently been gripped by internal tension over whether its president and former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin should remain in charge or hand over the leadership to his deputy, Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin, who is also the opposition leader.
Muhyiddin's keynote address at the party’s recently concluded annual general assembly was met with a commotion before delegates settled down and eventually reaffirmed their support for him as Bersatu’s prime ministerial candidate.
Bersatu, which currently holds 24 seats in Parliament, is the second-largest party in PN, after Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS).
Bersatu’s internal conflict comes as PAS is vying to lead PN and put forward its own prime ministerial candidate as Malaysia edges into the third year of the current parliamentary term, amid speculation that the next general election could be called as soon as next year.