PETALING JAYA: Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin has dismissed talk of the party being expelled from Perikatan Nasional, reiterating that only the unanimous agreement of all component parties can remove a member.
He said no individual could decide on the expulsion of a component party, as PN’s constitution requires the agreement of all member parties, Sinar Harian reported.
Muhyiddin was responding to reports that Bersatu could be removed from the coalition after fielding candidates against those backed by PN in the Negeri Sembilan election.
The reports quoted Parti Wawasan Negara election director Badrul Hisham Shaharin, better known as Chegubard, as saying Bersatu’s decision to contest several seats also contested by PN showed it was no longer functioning as part of the coalition.
Muhyiddin questioned Chegubard’s position on the matter. “Who is Chegubard? Is he a member of the PN leadership council? I asked, the answer was no,” he was quoted as saying. “Don’t presume to make a decision.”
Speaking after launching Bersatu’s Negeri Sembilan election manifesto in Nilai today, Muhyiddin said no decision on expulsion could be made “if even one component party disagrees”.
Muhyiddin said Bersatu would seek legal advice before taking any action concerning its position in PN and would act strictly in accordance with the coalition’s constitution. “We will not act unless there is a strong basis, for example if our rights in seat allocations or other related matters are denied,” he said.
Despite PAS severing political ties with Bersatu, both parties have decided to remain in Perikatan Nasional, the coalition built around the two.
However, in the Aug 1 election, Bersatu is contesting 24 seats under its own logo, while the PAS-led PN is contesting 11 seats under an electoral pact with Barisan Nasional, which is contesting the remaining 25 seats.
On the BN-PN electoral pact, Muhyiddin said the cooperation lacked a clear common understanding, pointing to conflicting statements by leaders from both sides.
He noted that Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan had described the arrangement as not being a formal coalition, while Wawasan president Hamzah Zainudin had referred to it as “Perikatan Barisan Nasional”.
“I expected this. As soon as Hamzah made that statement, there were already people in BN who disagreed,” he said, adding that the differing views showed there was still no agreed arrangement governing the cooperation. “What exists now is simply cooperation between the respective parties with the common objective of gaining power.”
