DR Mahathir Mohamad is among six former Bersatu members suing the party leaders and the Registrar of Societies over wrongful termination from the party, say news reports.

In their statement of claim, the six accuse Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin and secretary-general Hamzah Zainuddin of conspiring with the RoS to seize power in the party.

“We are disputing this wrongful, invalid and malicious act as well as the conspiracy to commit fraud and the unlawful wrest of Bersatu and its leadership by Muhyiddin,” said the statement.

The five other former party leaders taking the case to court are former deputy president Mukhriz Mahathir, former youth chief Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, former supreme council members Maszlee Malik, Amiruddin Hamzah and former secretary-general Marzuki Yahya.

They charge that Muhyiddin had abused his power to illegally restructure the party

Their lawyer Haniff Khatri Abdulla filed the suit this afternoon at the Kuala Lumpur High Court.

The six want the court to declare the legitimacy of their party membership and positions. They also want the court to revoke the membership of Muhyiddin as well as Bersatu members who are in the cabinet or are heads of government-linked companies or both.

The six bringing the suit were sacked from the party on June 4 for supporting Pakatan Harapan, Bersatu’s former pact with DAP, PKR and Amanah.

Muhyiddin, who is also the prime minister, is working with Umno and PAS in Perikatan Nasional, the ruling coalition formed after he took the party out of PH in late February. He commands the support of a slim majority in parliament thanks to his new allies. 

The RoS, meanwhile had backed Muhyiddin’s assertion that Dr Mahathir had given up the party chair in February, a claim Dr Mahathir disputes on the basis that his resignation had been rejected by the party.

The half dozen Bersatu plaintiffs state that the RoS’ involvement in party affairs was a conflict of interest as the body was subordinate to  Home Ministry which was helmed by party secretary-general Hamzah.

“As such, the ROS director-general is the party that used, helped, colluded or conspired with the defendants in committing the fraud or the illegal wresting of power,” they said in the statement of claim.

The Bersatu constitution does not allow party members to take internal disputes to court. The six said the rule does not apply as they are not considered members. – June 9, 2020.