SNAPSHOT | Zambry refutes Dong Zong; Rafizi confident more PKR reps will join Bersama during GE

KINI SNAPSHOT | What’s going on in the news today, with updates at 11am, 2pm, and 6pm.

6pm

Education

• Higher Education Minister Zambry Abd Kadir refuted Dong Zong’s assertions that the conditions for Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) holders seeking admission to public universities fell short of educational equality.

  Zambry said it was fair to require UEC graduates to apply for Chinese language and literary courses on the condition that they get honours in the SPM Bahasa Melayu test and pass the history test.

  This is so there can be no compromise on those two subjects.

  

  However, Dong Zong’s complaint was about why UEC students who only sat for those two SPM papers were limited to just four Chinese-related courses, not the subject requirements themselves.

Politics

• PKR secretary-general Fuziah Salleh said Rafizi Ramli and Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad’s announcement today that they will be joining Parti Bersama Malaya triggered the anti-hopping law.

  Fuziah said she will be writing to inform Dewan Rakyat speaker Johari Abdul, who is a PKR member, about the duo.

  Rafizi and Nik Nazmi had said they plan to resign as MPs on Monday, and will be writing to the speaker the same day.

  Fuziah also said PKR will review the status of other PKR MPs who were at the Bersama event today.

• Rafizi and Nik Nazmi indicated that so far, only two of them are making the jump from PKR to Bersama.

  

  Rafizi, however, expressed confidence that more will join once a general election is called.

  He said for now, many will be held back by the anti-hopping law, and will be biding their time.

• DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke said that even if Rafizi and Nik Nazmi were disappointed, they should have waited until the end of their term as MPs before joining a new movement.

  This, he said, is the principle that should be held for those who won on a party ticket.

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Rafizi and Nik Nazmi quitting PKR, vacating seats, to head Bersama party

COMMENT | How much will Rafizi, Nik Nazmi hurt Anwar if they quit PKR?

Loke praises Anwar's bravery over UEC

Ex-minister: UEC debate reflects differing priorities between peninsula, Bornean states