Decision to leave PH was made, and that's the fact - Bersatu Info Chief

Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) Information Chief Dr Mohd Radzi Md Jidin today denied claims by Datuk Marzuki Yahya that the party's Supreme Council had never made a decision to leave the Pakatan Harapan coalition.

Pointing out that Marzuki was no longer Bersatu secretary-general, Mohd Radzi, instead said that the Supreme Council had made a clear and definitive decision to leave PH and form a new political coalition with non-PH parties.

"As such, YB Senator Datuk Wira Haji Marzuki's claims that the Supreme Council had never made a decision to leave is not true at all.

"In fact, it was a decision that was not hastily made. It was discussed at various levels within the party leadership several months prior and finalised at the party's political bureau meeting on Feb 21, and later at the Supreme Council meeting on Feb 23," he said in a statement here today.

Mohd Radzi said Bersatu chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was aware and had even supported the party's decision to leave PH.

However, he claimed Dr Mahathir changed his stand at the eleventh hour just before the plan was to proceed.

"As generally known, YABhg Tun (Dr Mahathir) had been constantly pressured by PH leaders, especially from PKR and DAP, to resign as Prime Minister.

Radzi said this caused uneasiness among Bersatu leaders, and as such many in the party came to terms that there was no longer any cooperation in PH," he said.

He also said that on Feb 24, Dr Mahathir announced his resignation as Prime Minister and Bersatu chairman on the grounds that he no longer commanded the support of the party's Supreme Council members.

Radzi pointed out that according to Article 16.9 of the Bersatu constitution, once the party chairman quits his post, the president, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin automatically assumed the acting chairman post.

"As Bersatu president and acting chairman, YAB Tan Sri Dato' Haji Muhyiddin bin Hj Mohd Yassin on the same day announced that Bersatu had left PH as how decided in the party's Supreme Council meeting the day before," he said.

Radzi said the fact that Bersatu had left PH had also been acknowledged by YABhg Tun himself in his special address on Feb 26 when he (Dr Mahathir) was quoted as saying: "I asked to be given time, but my party Bersatu had decided to leave Pakatan Harapan."

As such, he said claims that the party's Supreme Council had never made a decision to leave the party was totally baseless and unsupported by evidence.

Two days ago, Marzuki, who claims that he is still Bersatu secretary-general, was reported to have said that Bersatu's Supreme Council had not made a decision to quit PH.

Marzuki said the council's meetings on Feb 23 and 24 made the decision to reject Dr Mahathir's resignation as party chairman and also as Prime Minister.

On March 26, Muhyiddin, as Bersatu president, announced the appointment of Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin as party secretary-general effective March 18, replacing Marzuki who was sacked from the post.

-- BERNAMA