Dr Mahathir himself asked to sit in the opposition bloc - Takiyuddin

The actions of former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to sit in the opposition bloc at the Parliamentary sitting on May 18 was at his own request.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Parliament and Law), Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan, explained that the request was made in a letter dated May 15 sent to him before the Parliamentary session.

He said Dr Mahathir made the request because he did not support the government of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) led by Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

"However, party matters are the internal affairs of the party and the members involved.

"The Member of Parliament (MP) will be placed in the requested bloc, the government or otherwise. The matter with the party is the party's internal affairs with its members," he said in a statement on his Twitter account on Friday.

On Thursday, Dr Mahathir, who is also the former Bersatu chairman and four others, deputy president, Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir; Head of the Bersatu Youth (Armada), Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman; Supreme Leadership Council member Dr Maszlee Malik and Kubang Pasu MP Datuk Amiruddin Hamzah had their Bersatu membership nullified immediately.