Speaker: Only 3 Bersatu MPs sought seat change

Despite four Bersatu MPs pledging support for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, only three had requested for change of seats in the Dewan Rakyat.

“We changed the seating arrangement for three MPs because they requested. The other one hasn’t made a request,” Dewan Rakyat speaker Johari Abdul told Malaysiakini.

Since Oct 12, four Bersatu MPs - Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid (Kuala Kangsar), Suhaili Abdul Rahman (Labuan), Mohd Azizi Abu Naim (Gua Musang), and Zahari Kechik (Jeli) - pledged to support Anwar.

As of yesterday, only Suhaili, Azizi, and Zahari had their seats relocated.

The change of seats in the Dewan Rakyat is purely symbolic as the four are still Bersatu members and are free to vote however they want.

Their loyalty towards Anwar has not been put to the test as no bloc voting has been called during the ongoing Dewan Rakyat meeting.

The Bersatu quartet are not affected by laws designed to discourage MPs from defecting because it will only be triggered if they voluntarily relinquish their party membership.

Bersatu has suspended Iskandar and Suhaili’s membership for four and six years respectively. The other two have been referred to the party’s disciplinary committee, pending punitive action.

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