<ul><li>UPDATED 3.50PM | Added announcements from Ulya Aqamah, Langkawi Bersatu division deputy chief and others of leaving the party.&nbsp;</li></ul>There have been more defections from Bersatu following Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s announcement on Friday of a new “independent” Malay party.Bersatu Youth leader Abu Hafiz Salleh Hudin (above) is the latest to depart from the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government party in support of the former prime minister's new party.Abu Hafiz announced his resignation from the party today, including from the posts of party youth exco, Wangsa Maju division youth chief, and Teratai Mewah branch youth chief.“I hope Bersatu reverts to the original objective struggles from when it was formed to fight kleptocracy and fulfil the aspirations of Mahathir,” he said in a statement.When contacted, he confirmed his intentions to join the nonagenarian politician's&nbsp;<a href="https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/537765" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">new party</a>, once it is set up.“God willing, (I) will join Tun’s (Mahathir’s) party,” he told Malaysiakini.In a social media posting on his exit, Abu Hafiz said his deputy Ahmad Ajmain would take over as acting Wangsa Maju Bersatu Youth chief for the time being.Mahathir announced the formation of his new Malay-based party on Friday, although it has yet to be named or registered with the Registrar of Societies (ROS).<div class="medium-insert-images"><figure><img src="https://i.malaysiakini.com/1157/6310f1b9a07de63606d9f5d5cdab5621.jpeg" alt=""></figure></div>Bersatu supreme council member Ulya Aqamah Husamudin (above) also said he has resigned from the party.“I hope Bersatu will re-evaluate its original fight and return to the objective of which the party was formed,” he said in a statement. Langkawi Bersatu division deputy chief Shukor Bahari made the same move, relinquishing his position and quitting the party with immediate effect.Aside from him, 22 out of the 25 Langkawi division committee members have also left the party. According to Bernama, Shukor said after this announcement, 15 branches from Langkawi Bersatu involving more than 4,900 members, have been automatically dissolved.Mahathir, who is the Langkawi MP, was the chief of the Langkawi Bersatu division. The Bangi Bersatu division also sent an invitation to the media for this afternoon on the dissolution of the branch, involving the division chief, vice-chief, and other committee members. However, its deputy chief Md Samsudin Zakaria released a statement later denying that the division would be dissolving.According to the party constitution, he said the division will not dissolve even with the departure of the division chief and a part of the committee members. Other defections today include Kuala Langat Bersatu division women’s wing chief Zuhuraina Makmur, who is also Bersatu women’s wing exco, as well as Perlis Bersatu Youth wing chief Syazwan Fahmi Badrul Sham. The new “independent” party, according to the Langkawi MP, would not be tied to PN or Pakatan Harapan following disagreements with PKR, but could be the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/537782" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">deciding force</a>&nbsp;in determining which bloc wins the next general election.The move had earlier triggered defections from Bersatu’s Klang division, which caused it to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/537870" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">disband</a>.Others who have defected include Jeram assemblyperson Mohd Shaid Rosli and Bersatu supreme council members - A Kadir Jasin, Tariq Ismail Mustafa and Abu Bakar Yahya.Bersatu is expected to continue to bleed, with additional exits anticipated from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/537911" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Johor</a>, according to a senior assemblyperson there.<div class="medium-insert-images"><figure><img src="https://i.newscdn.net/publisher-c1a3f893382d2b2f8a9aa22a654d9c97/2020/08/fdcb3534cd994174dc89f9ba46378d8a.jpg" alt=""></figure></div>Mahathir, who helmed the previous Harapan government, was also a Bersatu founder and chairperson before his ouster following his disagreement with party president Muhyiddin Yassin over the Sheraton Move in late February.The Sheraton Move saw Bersatu exit the Harapan coalition, triggering its downfall, and led to Muhyiddin being sworn in as the country’s eighth prime minister.Apart from Mahathir's new party, other Malay-based parties in the country include Umno, PAS, Bersatu and Amanah.Additional reporting by M Fakhrull Halim

UPDATED 3.50PM | Wave of defections includes leaders from Bersatu Youth, party's supreme council and members of Langkawi, Bangi division.

More Bersatu exits in wake of Dr M's 'new party' announcement

~RM12

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