KOTA KINABALU: A Sabah MP has sought to clarify his position, saying he is a direct member of Gabungan Rakyat Sabah and had signed up for membership before nomination for the general election last month.
Armizan Ali, a member of Sabah Bersatu, said his membership of GRS was in accordance with the coalition’s constitution.
He also said he had not announced his resignation from Sabah Bersatu and had not submitted a resignation letter.
Armizan’s statement comes amid questions raised over the status of four Sabah Bersatu members elected as MPs in the general election, following the announcement by Sabah Bersatu leaders that they were leaving the party.
Rival politicians have demanded that the four vacate their seats as required by the anti-hopping law if they had resigned from Bersatu.
However, Armizan said he was elected as a GRS candidate.
“As a member who was directly involved in the formulation of the GRS constitution and its registration, I was one of the original GRS members through direct membership. I contested in the election on a GRS ticket,” he told FMT.
GRS, a coalition of several parties, was formally registered as a political party in March with membership comprising political parties as well as individuals.
Armizan did not say whether three other MPs had also become GRS members before the election. The other three MPs are Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan (Batu Sapi), who is also tourism, arts and culture deputy minister; Sipitang MP Matbali Musah and Ranau MP Jonathan Yasin.
All four had contested the general election on GRS tickets.
Armizan, who is minister for Sabah and Sarawak affairs, said he had not announced his intention to leave Bersatu, nor had he ever submitted a resignation letter.
“I heard that a few senior Bersatu members recommended firing me because I joined the unity government as a federal minister. However, I have yet to receive any official notification regarding my membership status in Bersatu,” he said.
He said the main issue was the different directions taken by Sabah Bersatu and the peninsula-based Bersatu.
“The interests of the nation must take precedence over the interests of the party,” he said. “The people need a government to lead (the nation) and, in this regard, we want to be masters of our own destiny.”
On Saturday, leaders of Sabah Bersatu said they were leaving the party and would form a new party. Armizan, Khairul, Matbali and Jonathan were said to be among those to have left Sabah Bersatu.