BERSATU youth wants the party to have an extraordinary general meeting and party elections sped up to resolve the party’s unrest. 

Its chief Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman said Bersatu youth is firm on its stand that the termination of party chairman Dr Mahathir Mohamad and five other Supreme Council members’ membership was unconstitutional.

Supreme council members aligned to party president Muhyiddin Yassin said they had unanimously agreed to revoke Dr Mahathir’s membership along with four other party leaders.

They are deputy president Mukhriz Mahathir (Jerlun), youth chief Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman (Muar), supreme council member Maszlee Malik (Simpang Renggam) and Amiruddin Hamzah (Kubang Pasu). 

“Allow Bersatu’s future to be decided by the party’s grassroots. If it is true that there is no support for us, let us be punished by the grassroots. 

“And not by a person who was from Umno and joined Bersatu,” he said in a press conference in Putrajaya.

Syed Saddiq said their membership termination was unfair as they were not called to defend themselves.

He said it was frustrating because Bersatu’s constitution outlines the rights for members and gave them the right to defend themselves.

“The constitution was framed based on Muhyiddin’s experience after he was deposed as Umno deputy president. He was not called to the disciplinary board and asked to defend himself when he was sacked. 

“When we drafted the constitution, we did not include the clause which gives the absolute right for any party to abolish a membership as per Umno constitution,” he said.

On Thursday, Bersatu’s organising secretary Muhammad Shuhaimi Yahya sent termination letters to Dr Mahathir and four others aligned to him.

Suhaimi’s letter said that their party memberships had ceased with immediate effect because of their decision to sit in the federal opposition bloc during the May 18 Dewan Rakyat proceedings.

Their terminations were based on two articles in the party constitution – that they had declared quitting Bersatu, and had joined another party.

However, all five disputed their terminations, calling the move unlawful and without basis in the party’s constitution. – May 31, 2020.