Some 300 members of Tanjung Piai Bersatu announced last night that they quit the party and will join Warisan, the Sabah-based party that is spreading its wings to the peninsula.
According to a report by Berita Harian, the move was led by Tanjung Piai Bersatu secretary Hisamuddin Busri who claimed that the party was losing direction and no longer reflected the principles of struggle and the hopes of the grassroots.
Hisamuddin said the action was done voluntarily without coercion from any party.
"I, as secretary of Tanjung Piai Bersatu division and head of the party's Bandar Pekan Nanas Timur Branch, publicly announce I will leave the party with immediate effect.
"A total of 300 members of Tanjung Piai Bersatu also left the party with immediate effect and decided to join Warisan.
"We are committed to fight for the fate of the nation but after Bersatu lost its direction and principles, we had to go out and find a new party that is in line with our principles," he told a press conference in Pekan Nanas, Johor last night.
Also present were Warisan vice-president Junz Wong and Tanjung Piai Bersatu treasurer Mohd Rashid Alfred Abdul Rahman Heinrich.
Bersatu won the Tanjung Piai parliamentary seat in the 2018 general election but suffered a massive defeat in November 2019 in the by-election that was called following the death of incumbent Md Farid Md Rafik.
In late January, Johor Bersatu chief Mazlan Bujang resigned from the party and was followed two days later by former exco member Mohd Izhar Ahmad who also announced he was quitting Bersatu.
Both represented Bersatu in the dissolved state assembly and are now backing BN in the upcoming polls.
‘Warisan has best direction’
Hisamuddin said Warisan is a unique party because it is joined by members of various races apart from having clear principles.
"The move to join Warisan is the result of a three-month study and it turns out to have the best direction and in line with the effort to defend the fate of the people.
"The party's participation in the state election is up to the top leadership. The fact is we joined Warisan not for the purpose of contesting," he said.
Wong said Sabah Warisan will finalise the issue of the party's participation in the Johor state election next week and that the matter would be announced by party president Mohd Shafie Apdal after evaluating the assessment report.
"I will complete the evaluation report next Monday and will be evaluated before the next final decision is made.
"The president will be in Johor Bahru on Feb 15 for the official launch of Johor Warisan. Maybe the announcement of whether or not we participate in the Johor polls will be made on the launch date or a few days before the programme is held," he said.
Wong added that Warisan has 85 branches nationwide with 20,000 members.
Warisan has an elected representative in Selangor after three ex-DAP representatives from Peninsular Malaysia joined the party.
Teratai assemblyperson Bryan Lai Wai Chong, who quit DAP amid extramarital affair allegations, has joined alongside former Jelutong MP Jeff Ooi Chuan Aun, and former Penang state executive council member Danny Law Heng Kiang.
Umno's former Kukup assemblyperson Suhaimi Salleh and former MIC committee member S Sundhar also reportedly joined Warisan. - Mkini
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