KUALA TERENGGANU: Bersatu wants Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul to stop making excuses and to immediately declare vacant the six parliamentary seats currently held by representatives whose membership has been revoked by the party.

Its information chief Datuk Razali Idris said this is to enable the Election Commission (EC) to call for by-elections in these parliamentary seats to be held concurrently with the upcoming Nenggiri state seat by-election in Kelantan.

Holding by-elections for these seats simultaneously with the Nenggiri by-election, Razali said, will help the EC save time, costs, and other resources involved in conducting elections.

"As such, the Speaker must facilitate the return of the mandate to the people by announcing these six parliamentary seats as vacant," he said.

Razali was referring to the case of Bukit Gantang member of Parliament Datuk Syed Hussin Hafiz Syed Abdul Fasal, Zahari Kechik (Jeli), Datuk Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid (Kuala Kangsar), Datuk Dr Zulkafperi Hanapi (Tanjong Karang) and Datuk Suhaili Abdul Rahman (Labuan) as well as Gua Musang's Mohd Azizi Abu Naim, who was also Nenggiri assemblyman.

Earlier this month, Bersatu announced that the party had revoked the membership of the six MPs who had declared their support for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Its vice-president Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee said that the notices on the party status of the MPs were submitted to the Dewan Rakyat Speaker's office on June 20.

A day earlier, the Kelantan state assembly declared Nenggiri vacant after it received a notification of Azizi's termination from Bersatu.

The EC yesterday fixed Aug 3 as nomination day and Aug 17 as the polling day for the Nenggiri by-election.

https://www.nst.com.my/news/politics/2024/06/1069875/bersatu-wants-speaker-declare-six-seats-vacant-immediately