Bersatu investigating Osman Sapian, sec-gen confirms

Bersatu has initiated an internal investigation against former Johor menteri besar Osman Sapian, who was recently spotted attending at least two Pejuang events.

According to Bersatu secretary-general Hamzah Zainudin (above), the party needs to be sure before taking any action against Osman, who is Kempas state assemblyperson.

"Yes, we have received complaints about him. But as what we have done with the other former Bersatu leaders, whatever decision we want to take, we need to be sure first.

"When we are sure, we will take action according to the party constitution," he said when met by reporters after attending Bersatu's fourth anniversary celebration in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday evening.

"It is under investigation," Hamzah said.

Osman, who is Bersatu Ayer Hitam division chief, was spotted with the Pejuang team on the Slim by-election campaign trail, sparking questions about the stability of the Johor Perikatan Nasional government which only holds a one-seat majority.

Bersatu disciplinary board chairperson Megat Najmuddin Megat Khas had later clarified that there was no evidence to suggest that Osman Sapian was campaigning for the Pejuang-endorsed candidate in the by-election.

However, late Sunday night, another series of photographs and a short video clip were uploaded on Facebook showing Osman appearing at another Pejuang-related event, which was held to show appreciation to the party's election machinery from Johor that helped in the Slim by-election campaign.

According to Hamzah, for all members whom Bersatu has sacked before, action was only taken on them after enough evidence was found.

"Those whom we have sacked, actually we have been monitoring all their activities and actions, we put all on record.

"And with those records then we make a decision," he said.

This includes the case of former Bersatu chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad and five other MPs loyal to the former prime minister. They had sat with the opposition during the one-day Parliament session in May.

Hamzah said the party only took action against Mahathir after he and the other MPs crossed the floor to be on the opposition side.

Meanwhile, in his speech during the event, Hamzah said Bersatu has reached 500,000 members so far.

He also responded to a claim by former Bersatu deputy president Mukhriz Mahathir that 70 percent of the party members have left the party to support Pejuang, which was also founded by Mahathir.

"As the party secretary-general, I want to clarify since someone claimed that about 75 percent of our members have left Bersatu. I want to inform that as of yesterday, only 247 of our members have left the party.

"The rest are still steadfast with our struggle," he said.

Hamzah said the party started with a small number, around 46,000 in 2016 which grew to 54,000 in 2017. In 2018, he said, the membership grew further to 120,000.

"Today, I want to inform all of you that the number of party members who have registered with us has exceeded 500,000 nationwide," he said.

Hamzah added that they aimed to double the number to one million by the end of this year. - Mkini