Zuraida: Multi-ethnic ‘subsidiary’ to Bersatu was proposed to Muhyiddin

Ampang MP Zuraida Kamaruddin revealed that she had suggested the formation of a new multi-ethnic party to boost support for Bersatu, prior to her departure.

In response to a show-cause letter issued by her former party, she claimed that she had proposed the idea of forming a new party which would act as a subsidiary in order to lock in votes in more multi-racial seats in the upcoming general election to Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin (above, right).

“In the discussion with the president, I had told him of the idea to form a new party that is multiracial to add value and as a subsidiary to Bersatu so as to raise support from a multiracial segment of the electorate that Bersatu cannot get,” she was quoted as saying by Mingguan Malaysia.

“This will increase support for Bersatu based on the fact that (Parti Bangsa Malaysia) consists of leaders who once held the highest posts in a multiracial party that had won a majority of the parliamentary seats in the previous general election,” she added.

According to Mingguan Malaysia, the letter was issued on May 11.

During the Pakatan Harapan administration led by Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Zuraida was once among the most powerful female politicians in the country, holding the position of PKR vice-president and cabinet minister in charge of housing and local government.

In February 2020, she and nine other PKR MPs defected to Bersatu to be part of the Muhyiddin administration, triggering the fall of the then Harapan government.

Bersatu leaders meeting at the Sheraton Hotel during the ‘Sheraton Move’ political coup

By February this year, some news reports suggested that Zuraida was being sidelined by Bersatu’s leadership.

Zuraida also played a low-key role in campaigning during the Malacca and Johor state elections.

Ex-PKR members ‘sidelined’

In her written response, she reportedly implied that her defection from PKR had coaxed grassroots members to throw their support behind Bersatu.

Further, the Ampang MP alleged that certain groups within Bersatu had intentionally delayed the registration of former PKR members who intended to join the party.

“At the time, our group which consisted of highly experienced political activists and held high positions were not fully appreciated to help develop Bersatu,” she reportedly said.

“It was as if we were sidelined and their real potential unrealised to the detriment of Bersatu.”

Additionally, she denied that she became a Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM) member while she was still in Bersatu. 

Last Thursday, Zuraida announced her resignation from Bersatu.

This puts her position as a minister, which was by virtue of a Bersatu quota, into question.

She is set to meet Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob to discuss the matter upon his return from a working trip to Japan. - Mkini