A FRACAS that broke out on Wednesday at Bersatu’s Tanjong Karang branch was due to the membership roll, local leaders said.

The branch members have denied allegations by their branch leaders that they had on Wednesday rioted at the party’s service centre in Tanjung Karang.

One of the accused, Mohd Zaki Abdullah, admitted an altercation did take place and that there was some pushing and shoving.

Zaki said he and four friends, who are also branch members, had gone to the Pusat Khidmat Peduli Rakyat (PKPR) – to verify allegations that their membership had been moved elsewhere.

“When we found out our membership had really been moved elsewhere, a slight argument broke out and there was some pushing and shoving… a laptop fell and was damaged,” Zaki told The Malaysian Insight.

Zaki said they immediately lodged a police report about the incident, in which they denied they had rioted.

Kasan Misbah Yusof, another accused, told The Malaysian Insight he went to the service centre to assist a friend in verifying the status of his membership.

Kasan, who also lodged a police report, said he was there to help his elderly friend Othman Shamsuddin.

“When I reached the centre, I found there looked like some altercation. I even managed to advise them to calm down.

“Then the branch secretary slapped my friend who was behind me.

“I am a civil servant. I made the police report to make it clear to the district education office, the state and the Education Ministry that I did not riot nor was I involved in the altercation.

Tg Karang branch election committee Asyraf Rahmat had admitted a weakness in the membership system.

He said the system was susceptible to manipulation.

“They only need to access the system. If they know the member’s MyKad and membership number, then it’s easy to do anything they want to his status. 

“Anyone can do it. There are no shields.

“The weakness had been exploited by some people with special interests.

“They don’t like that someone, they could delete him from the system. And the ones they like, they’ll just register their membership to swell support.”

Membership status has recently taken on great importance in Bersatu as elections loom. – January 18, 2020.