No notification on status of 6 Bersatu MPs: Speaker

Dewan Rakyat speaker Johari Abdul has not received official notice from any party regarding the vacant seats involving the six Bersatu MPs who had their party membership revoked recently.

He said he needed time to carefully examine all matters involving laws, including the Anti-Party Hopping Act passed in Parliament, before making any decisions against them.

“At the moment there is no (notice sent) yet. What happens outside of that is ‘noise’ to me and as long as I don’t receive in black and white what the party says, and what actions are taken by the party against their members, I think that is not my jurisdiction... I should not interfere.

“Secondly, I understand that they were Bersatu party members but they also took their oath to uphold the Constitution before me, so I have to take the responsibility to defend the freedom and rights of the Parliament,” he told Bernama.

Johari has been on a five-day official visit with a parliamentary delegation to Japan since Monday at the invitation of Japanese House of Representatives speaker Fukushiro Nukaga.

Also in the delegation are Special Select Committee on International Affairs member Sim Tze Tzin, who is Bayan Baru MP; Special Select Committee on Environment, Science and Plantation member Vivian Wong Shir Yee (Sandakan); and Special Select Committee on Nation Building, Education and Human Resource Development member Shamshulkahar Mohd Deli (Jempol).

Johari also said that as the Dewan Rakyat speaker, it is his responsibility to evaluate the MPs’ every action as the people’s representatives and not as members of any political party.

“For me to take action, I must be careful. I must delve into everything, all aspects because whatever decision I make (not only) will affect the members of a party or MPs, but also the country.

“I am treading cautiously and as long as I am not sure, I will not make the decision.

“I have to make sure that my actions are correct and I don’t want to be blamed or feel guilty when I am not in that position later,” he said.

Earlier, six Bersatu MPs were revoked of their membership immediately after failing to respond to a written instruction from the party’s supreme leadership council to pledge their allegiance.

The six are Bukit Gantang MP Syed Abu Hussin Hafiz Syed Abdul Fasal, Zahari Kechik (Jeli), Mohd Azizi Abu Naim (Gua Musang), Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid (Kuala Kangsar), Suhaili Abdul Rahman (Labuan) and Zulkafperi Hanafi (Tanjong Karang).

- Bernama

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