PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man has insisted that the Perikatan Nasional Supreme Council discuss the withdrawal of support by five Bersatu assemblymen from former Perlis menteri besar Shukri Ramli.
He described their actions as damaging to the coalition and unacceptable, especially since Bersatu is a partner of PAS, which holds the majority of state seats in Perlis.
“The Perlis legislative assembly should be led by the party holding the majority of seats to ensure stability and harmony,” he told FMT.
Response to Muhyiddin
Tuan Ibrahim was reacting to Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin’s denial that the party directed its five Perlis assemblymen to pull support from Shukri.
Muhyiddin clarified that Bersatu only submitted candidate names for the menteri besar post after receiving instructions from the Perlis ruler’s office.
He added that Bersatu would seek explanations from its assemblymen to establish the facts.
Call for Discipline
Tuan Ibrahim had earlier urged Bersatu to take firm action against the five as a mark of respect for PAS and to preserve coalition discipline and relations.
Background to Resignation
Shukri, the Sanglang assemblyman from PAS, stepped down as menteri besar after three years, citing health reasons.
His resignation followed the withdrawal of support by eight PN assemblymen, leaving him with backing from only six PAS members in the 15-seat assembly.
The move involved three PAS assemblymen and five from Bersatu.
PAS Members Expelled
The three PAS assemblymen reportedly involved were Saad Seman, Fakhrul Anwar Ismail, and Ridzuan Hashim.
PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang announced on Wednesday that their party memberships had been terminated under the party’s constitution.
Their seats were subsequently vacated.
Potential By-Elections
No by-elections are required for the three seats as the state assembly dissolves automatically in two years.
However, Perlis assembly speaker Rus’sele Eizan said he would request the Election Commission to hold by-elections for political stability.
The five Bersatu assemblymen are Abu Bakar Hamzah, Izizam Ibrahim, Megat Hashirat Hassan, Wan Zikri Afthar Ishak, and Marzita Mansor.
