PETALING JAYA: Former law minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said today that four Sabah MPs who have been urged to vacate their seats do not need to do so as they had been elected as candidates from Gabungan Rakyat Sabah.
The status of the four MPs, who were members of Sabah Bersatu, was called into doubt after Sabah Bersatu leaders said they were leaving the party en masse. Rival politicians said their resignation from the party would expose them to the anti-hopping law, which requires the seats to be vacated.
However, Wan Junaidi said today in a joint statement with constitutional lawyer Tengku Fuad Ahmad that he agreed that the four MPs could keep their seats.
He said he had been informed that the four had resigned from Bersatu in early October before contesting the general election on a GRS ticket.
Yesterday, Wan Junaidi had said it was inconsequential whether they contested as GRS candidates and that it was only relevant whether they had left their party.
FMT is seeking confirmation from the MPs and from Bersatu whether they had resigned.
However, one of the MPs, Amirzan Ali, said earlier today that he had never announced he was leaving Bersatu and had never submitted a resignation letter.
Wan Junaidi said the association between GRS and Bersatu had ended in October and the anti-hopping law did not affect the four MPs.
The four MPs affected are Armizan (Papar), Khairul Firdaus Akhbar Khan (Batu Sapi), Jonathan Yasin (Ranau) and Matbali Musah (Sipitang).
Under the anti-hopping law, MPs stand to lose their seats if they move to another party after being elected.
— EDITOR