Former PKR MPs use Bersatu designation in Parliament, but aren't actually party members
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Ms Zuraida Kamaruddin is one of the 10 ex-PKR MPs.
PHOTO: ZURAIDA KAMARUDDIN/FACEBOOK
KUALA LUMPUR (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Ten former MPs who left Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) in February are designated as members of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's political party for the ongoing parliamentary sitting although they have not joined the party.
The 10 MPs are labelled as members of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia although they have faced obstacles in trying to join Bersatu in the last four months.
According to Ms Zuraida Kamaruddin, one of the 10 former PKR MPs, the lawmakers are labelled as Bersatu members for "strategic reasons".
She added that it was not feasible to form a new political party as the next general election is due in less than three years.
"Technically, we have not moved into Bersatu," she told reporters at a news conference in Parliament on Tuesday (July 14).
Ms Zuraida, a Cabinet minister, said this group of former PKR MPs are still looking into how they can join Bersatu, a Malay nationalist party formed by former premier Mahathir Mohamad and Tan Sri Muhyiddin.
Tun Dr Mahathir and five other MPs have been ejected from Bersatu, a decision they are disputing.
News reports have said that the ex-PKR MPs want to tweak the Bersatu constitution to allow non-Malay Muslims to become members. This would allow non-Malay Muslim former PKR members to join the party
Said Ms Zuraida: "We are also waiting for Bersatu to finish their party election and then we will move to Bersatu because we are expecting some amendment to the constitution."
She added: "God-willing, we will be together with Bersatu. We are still looking at how we shall join it."
The 10 lawmakers, including several non-Malay MPs, led by then PKR deputy president Azmin Ali, defected from then ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) government in late February.
The defection, along with the defection of a large group of MPs from Bersatu, led to the collapse of the PH administration.
The ex-PKR MPs are now part of the Mr Muhyiddin-led Perikatan Nasional (PN) government. The other PN members are Bersatu, Umno, Parti Islam SeMalaysia, Gabungan Parti Sarawak and several small parties from Sabah and Sarawak.
In recent weeks, Datuk Seri Azmin was said to be close to setting up a new party, possibly called Parti Keadilan Negara.
But the Registrar of Societies (RoS) said on Sunday there were no applications from Mr Azmin to form a new party.
