DR Wan Azizah Wan Ismail is pleased that Umno lawmaker Noor Azmi Ghazali has quit the party with the intention of joining one of Pakatan Harapan’s partners.

The PKR president said the Bagan Serai Member of Parliament had made his choice and it should be respected.

“He has made his choice. We welcome any ADUN or MP that wants to make a change for the country,” she told reporters when met at the Selangor state-level open house today.

However, the deputy prime minister did not want to comment if PH would accept the MP and said she would leave it to the Perak PH to decide.

“We leave it to the state level to deliberate on that and make a decision,” Dr Wan Azizah said.

Noor announced he is leaving Umno and Barisan Nasional today.

This leaves the BN lynchpin party with 53 legislators in the Federal Parliament.

The Bagan Serai MP said he has switched allegiance, pledging support for Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Perak Menteri Besar Ahmad Faizal Azumu.

The two-term MP, a medical doctor and a vocal Umno parliamentarian, said he was becoming an independent for now but wants to join Bersatu at a later date.

He is the first Umno MP to leave the party since the general election on May 9.

Noor Azmi retained the Bagan Serai parliamentary seat in the 14th general election with a slim majority of 172 votes in a three-cornered fight.

PH won 113 of 222 parliamentary seats, defeating BN, which took 79 seats, and PAS (18) in the elections. – June 24, 2018