Bersatu demands speaker declare 4 Sabah seats vacant

Bersatu has demanded that Dewan Rakyat speaker Johari Abdul declare four parliamentary seats held by Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) as vacant.

In a statement today, Bersatu vice-president Ronald Kiandee said Johari had been informed in writing on Dec 21 and must now act in accordance with Article 49A(3) of the Federal Constitution.

Ronald (above) said that the party had explained to Johari that the four MPs - Armizan Mohd Ali (Papar), Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan (Batu Sapi), Jonathan Yasin (Ranau), and Matbali Musah (Sipitang) - had ceased to be Bersatu members on Dec 19.

This was because the four MPs had “crossed the floor” by sitting on the government bench during the Dewan Rakyat meeting on that day.

“We also urged the speaker to inform the Election Commission of this matter within 21 days of receiving this notice to hold elections to fill the vacancies,” he said.

On Dec 10, Sabah Bersatu’s leadership and all its lawmakers declared that they were parting ways with the party.

This led to claims that the four MPs, who stood on a GRS ticket while being Bersatu members, had to be disqualified under the "anti-hopping" laws.

However, it has been established that the four were both members of GRS and Bersatu at the time they were elected.

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