KUALA LUMPUR (March 10): Malaysia’s opposition party Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) on Tuesday suspended its vice-president Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee and women's chief Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin, citing breaches of the party’s constitution and its code of ethics and conduct.
While no official statement has been issued by Bersatu so far, Mas Ermieyati — who also serves as the chairman of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee and is the member of Parliament for Masjid Tanah — shared a screenshot of the suspension notice on her Instagram account.
“Finally, I have been suspended. That’s all the LD (disciplinary board) could give…as for me, syukur Alhamdulillah. Thank you, everyone,” she wrote in a brief comment accompanying the post.
Meanwhile Kiandee, the MP for Beluran and a former Deputy Dewan Rakyat Speaker, confirmed he had received a similar notice the same day through his Facebook post.
In a strongly worded statement, he questioned the decision to suspend him instead of expelling him outright. “Why merely suspend me? If I am truly guilty, just expel me,” he said.
According to both shared notices, the suspensions take immediate effect for two terms and automatically strip both leaders of all party posts for the period. They are also barred from issuing statements on behalf of the party.
The notice states that both of them may submit an appeal to the party’s appeals board within 14 days from the date of issuance.
Mas Ermieyati did not indicate whether she plans to do so, while Kiandee said he would not file an appeal against the suspension. “Consider the appeal period closed. Period,” he said.
Kiandee also criticised Bersatu’s disciplinary board, claiming the body was being used as a political instrument to protect the party leadership.
“This decision strengthens the perception that the disciplinary board is now being used as a political tool to protect the president and a small circle around him,” he said, adding that the board is chaired by an individual with family ties to the party’s top leadership.
According to Kiandee, the party’s direction over the past two years has increasingly centred on promoting Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin as the opposition coalition’s prime ministerial candidate.
“Anyone perceived as a potential obstacle to that agenda will be removed. The disciplinary board has become the most effective instrument to carry out such actions,” he said.
He cited the earlier removal of several party figures aligned with former deputy president Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin, saying internal dissent had been steadily eliminated.
The disciplinary actions also marked continuing tensions within Bersatu, a core component of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) opposition coalition.
PN, which also includes Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS), Gerakan, and the Malaysian Indian People’s Party, currently represents the main political bloc challenging Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s unity government.
Bersatu has been grappling with internal divisions following a prolonged power struggle between Muhyiddin and Hamzah, which culminated earlier this year in Hamzah’s expulsion along with several allies.
Despite his removal from Bersatu, Hamzah remains the parliamentary opposition leader for now, as the Dewan Rakyat Speaker has yet to receive a formal nomination for a replacement.
Local media have reported that Hamzah and 13 other former Bersatu MPs may soon move to a new political platform with Hamzah previously confirmed that he is in discussions to take over Parti Keluarga Malaysia (PKM), saying talks are currently focused on “technical matters”.