KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 12): Former Subang member of Parliament Wong Chen has left PKR and joined Bersama after resigning as an MP on Monday.
Wong said he went to the PKR headquarters at 11am on Tuesday to submit his resignation from the party, which was officially stamped and took effect immediately.
He said this marked the end of his 17-year association with PKR, 13 of which as a member of parliament.
Wong explained that he resigned as an MP before leaving PKR in accordance with the anti-hopping law. He then applied to join Bersama.
He said his application to join Bersama was approved about five minutes before he made the statement.
“Malaysian politics is in a very toxic phase. We are here to show you the face of a multiracial, progressive party. As we get into the more critical election process, I think people are looking for something else,” Wong said at a press conference chaired by Bersama co-leader Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli.
Rafizi announced Wong Chen as part of the party’s leadership expansion to strengthen the party's structure ahead of the next general election. Based on his experience, Wong will oversee the preparation of policy papers for Bersama.
He said Wong is a welcome addition to the party, which plans to release a series of 12 policy papers every two weeks from Aug 31, detailing its proposed policies, implementation steps, expected outcomes and costs.
Rafizi also introduced seven new spokespersons from various fields and groups as the party works to develop new leaders, potential “shadow candidates” and grassroots activists.
The seven spokespersons of the party announced on Wednesday are economist Sum Dek Joe, former media personality Ibrahim Sani, accountant Wan Zulaika Abdul Kahar, engineer Jhen Pei Seah, former Subang Jaya municipal councillor Anbarasan Murugesu, media personality Tang Hong Yau and lawyer Rabiatul Adawiyah Sulaiman.
This article has been updated for accuracy.