Zuraida goes to court in bid to reclaim PBM top post

 

Zuraida Kamaruddin has gone to court to be officially recognised as Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM) president, following a protracted power struggle.

The party’s former president-designate filed the judicial review leave application at the High Court in Kuala Lumpur on March 24.

Zuraida and 10 others were sacked from PBM in December last year, with the party announcing its new leadership line-up under president Larry Sng in February this year.

According to the cause papers sighted by Malaysiakini, Zuraida seeks several declarations, among them that the decision by the respondent, the Registrar of Societies (ROS), to maintain Sng as party president is invalid and unreasonable.

She also seeks a mandamus order to compel ROS to register and acknowledge her as PBM president, to take effect from Oct 7 last year.

Through her affidavit in support dated March 22, Zuraida contended that Sng made a statement, during the party general assembly on Oct 1 last year, that he agreed that there would be a transition to appoint her as party president.

She claimed that this was due to PBM needing a major political figure (tokoh yang lebih besar) to bring about positive changes in the party.

The former Ampang MP claimed that she received a letter from PBM dated Oct 15 last year whereby the party informed ROS about her appointment as party president.

However, she claimed, she received a letter from PBM on Dec 19 last year, in which Sng “self-declared” himself as party president and had suspended her party membership as well as directed her to show cause within seven days.

The applicant claimed the allegation was for questioning the Julau MP’s party presidency and confusing other party members by getting them to give a joint statement that she was the party president.

Zuraida claimed that Sng’s action was invalid as the provision used to suspend her membership was a power only capable of being wielded by the party president and that Sng was no longer the party president.

She claimed that she did not respond to the letter as she did not consider Sng’s actions as valid under the party constitution.

Zuraida also claimed that she found out that she was expelled from PBM through a report in the English daily The Star, dated Dec 27, in which it was reported she was removed from the party membership.

She contended that she never, at any material time, received any notice, letter, and/or was informed of her expulsion by PBM.

Zuraida claimed that ROS never informed her or PBM that the registrar would maintain Sng as party president in the list of party committee members in its possession.

She alleged that ROS had failed to reflect her appointment as PBM president in the list of party committee members in the registrar’s records.

She claimed that ROS’ failure to ascertain the contents of the letter (dated Oct 15 last year) had led to her being unconstitutionally expelled from the party.

Aggravated damage

Zuriada also declared that as PBM president and a member of the party’s supreme council, she could only be expelled via a vote of at least two-thirds of the delegates who attended the party general assembly, as per Article 14 of the party constitution.

“The failure and/or negligence of the respondent had enabled PBM to unconstitutionally expel me, which had directly caused aggravated damage to my image and political career,” Zuraida contended.

Contacted by Malaysiakini, Zuraida's counsel Mohamed Ashmeer Ashrof confirmed that the judicial review leave application would come up for hearing before the High Court in Kuala Lumpur tomorrow.

Malaysiakini has attempted to reach out to ROS’ legal representatives over the matter.

Zuraida left PKR for Bersatu in 2020 during the Sheraton Move that ushered in a change of administration from Pakatan Harapan to Perikatan Nasional.

However, in the middle of last year, she left Bersatu for PBM. - Mkini