PARTI Bangsa Malaysia’s (PBM) leadership tussle is set to go to court with Zuraida Kamaruddin challenging Larry Sng for the top post.

Malaysiakini reported that Zuraida filed a judicial review leave application at the Kuala Lumpur High Court on March 24.

Zuraida and 10 others were sacked from PBM last December, with Sng taking over the party leadership again after the former claimed to be the new president based on the party’s annual congress and leadership decision.

This leadership tussle started just before the 15th general election in November, and a ceasefire was agreed in time for the polls.

According to court documents, Zuraida is seeking several declarations, among them that the decision by the Registrar of Societies (ROS) to retain Sng as party president as invalid and unreasonable.

She also seeks a mandamus order to compel ROS to register and acknowledge her as PBM president, with effect from October 7 last year.

Through her affidavit in support dated March 22, Zuraida contended that Sng made a statement, during the party general assembly on October 1 last year, that he agreed that there would be a transition to appoint her as party president.

She claimed that this was due to PBM needing a major political figure to bring about positive changes in the party.

The former Ampang MP claimed that she received a letter from PBM dated October 15 last year whereby the party informed ROS about her appointment as party president.

However in a letter from PBM on December 19 last year, in which Sng “self-declared” as party president and had suspended her party membership as well as directed her to show cause within seven days.

The applicant claimed the allegation was for questioning the Julau MP’s party presidency and confusing other party members by getting them to give a joint statement that she is the party president.

Zuraida said Sng’s action was invalid as the provision used to suspend her membership was a power only capable of being wielded by the party president and that Sng was no longer the party president.

She claimed that she did not respond to the letter as she did not consider Sng’s actions as valid under the party constitution.

Zuraida also said she discovered her sacking from the party through media reports.

Her lawyer Mohamed Ashmeer Ashrof was reported by Malaysiakini as saying the judicial review leave application would be heard in the Kuala Lumpur High Court tomorrow. – April 11, 2023.