Ex-Sabah Bersatu candidate confirms joining GRS in October

 

A candidate for the Nov 19 general election has confirmed that he and 11 other candidates had discreetly signed up as Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) members in October.

This meant that their membership in Bersatu was automatically terminated under Clause 10.2.3 of the party's constitution, even before the Nov 19 election, had the matter been public knowledge.

Speaking to Malaysiakini, Nixon Abdul Habi (above), GRS' candidate for Semporna, said he has been a member of GRS "well before the general election".

He was uncertain of the exact date stated on his application to join GRS.

Although GRS is known publicly as a coalition of five parties, in the eyes of the Registrar of Societies and the Election Commission, it is a normal political party.

GRS was formally registered on March 11. As a coalition, GRS fielded 12 candidates for the Nov 19 election of which six were successful.

Immediately after the election, GRS initially pledged allegiance to Muhyiddin Yassin to serve as prime minister but their support wavered just five days later and after Anwar Ibrahim secured the top job.

It took until Dec 10 for a group of 15 GRS assemblypersons and four MPs to publicly declare that they were "exiting" Bersatu.

This had led to claims that the four newly elected MPs have triggered the "anti-hopping" laws in Article 49A of the Federal Constitution and will have to vacate their seats.

‘No need to inform Bersatu’

When asked whether he had informed Bersatu of his decision to leave the party, Nixon said there was no need to.

"I didn't send a letter (to the Bersatu headquarters). If you refer to the Bersatu constitution, it is clearly indicated there.

"We decided to be a GRS candidate (before the election)," he said.

Apart from the above-mentioned clause on multiple party memberships, Bersatu's constitution also stipulates under Clause 10.2.2 that a person ceases to be a member upon "declaring" that they have left the party or taken part in an election for public office without the party's permission.

Yesterday, Papar MP Armizan Mohd Ali - one of the four who left Bersatu - said he, too, was a member of GRS.

He said the GRS constitution, unlike Bersatu, allowed members to join more than one party. Armizan said he was among the authors of the GRS constitution.

The three other MPs are Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan (Batu Sapi), Jonathan Yasin (Ranau) and Matbali Musah (Sipitang).

The latest comments from Nixon and Armizan appear to corroborate with that of former law minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, who opined that the four had "quit" Bersatu sometime in October. - Mkini