KUALA LUMPUR: All the hype about breaking ranks within Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia came to naught yesterday after a no-show by Minister in Prime Minister's Department (Special Functions) Datuk Seri Mohd Redzuan Md Yusof and Deputy Works Minister Datuk Dr Shahruddin Md Salleh, who were rumoured to be planning to quit the Muhyiddin-led cabinet.
The flurry of activity and slew of comments that followed the sacking of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and four others on Thursday gave the impression that another political upheaval was imminent. Talk about Dr Mahathir planning a comeback was in earnest — that he had the numbers, it was believed, and he was seeking an audience with the king.
But after the press conference called by Dr Mahathir yesterday at the Bersatu headquarters to reiterate his stand on the sacking, it was evident that the situation in Bersatu was status quo.
After two months, the infighting has not ceased — Dr Mahathir and his camp are still insisting that he is Bersatu chairman, while president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's team is saying otherwise.
On Thursday, letters of termination were sent to Dr Mahathir (Langkawi member of parliament), Dr Maszlee Malik (Simpang Renggam) Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman (Muar), Datuk Amiruddin Hamzah (Kubang Pasu) and Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir (Jerlun). They rejected the termination on grounds that it was against the law and the party constitution.
The letters, signed by organising secretary Capt (Rtd) Muhammad Suhaimi Yahya, stated their decision to sit in the opposition bloc during the May 18 Dewan Rakyat session had led to the expulsion. The letters also stated that the five did not express support for the prime minister, who is Bersatu president.
At the press conference yesterday, Dr Mahathir said he would sack Suhaimi.
"The organising secretary has no power to sack a chairman. His duty usually involves arranging tables for a meeting and his position is not even mentioned in the Bersatu constitution.
"I was shocked when I learnt that I was sacked by the organising secretary — that's when I realised that the power of an organising secretary exceeds the chairman," he said in jest.
"Since he has exceeded his authority, I have decided to terminate Suhaimi as the organising secretary."
Reiterating his stand that the sacking was against the party constitution, Dr Mahathir said the constitution did not state anything about MPs' seating arrangement in the august house, which meant that he could sit wherever he wanted.
Article 10.2 of the Bersatu constitution also stated that the membership of a person is automatically revoked if he has declared that he has left the party (10.2.2) or if he becomes a member of another political party (10.2.3).
Dr Mahathir, however, said he never left Bersatu or joined another party.
Meanwhile, newly-appointed Bersatu secretary-general Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin, at a press conference, said the termination was because they sat with the opposition bloc during the May 18 Dewan Rakyat session.
"They are not sacked but their memberships were ended (keahlian dihentikan)," he said, but did not elaborate.
Hamzah claimed Dr Mahathir had plotted for Bersatu to quit PH and had discussed it with several party leaders. He also alleged it was part of a plan for Bersatu to eventually quit the pact, and it included undermining public confidence in DAP.
He said Dr Mahathir's resignation as Bersatu chairman on Feb 24 was valid according to the constitution and was verified by the Registrar of Societies (RoS).
He said the subsequent action by Muhyiddin as acting chairman was also valid until the next party election.
"The party president took over as Bersatu acting chairman according to articles in the party constitution on Feb 24, after Dr Mahathir tendered his resignation.
"During that period, we observed the Malay adab (cultural practices) and tried to persuade Dr Mahathir ... who stated that he wanted to take it back (the post), but he asked to give him some time. However, the party' affairs had to continue," he said during the press conference at the party headquarters yesterday.
However, he said suspicions and misunderstandings had then arose, leading Suhaimi to obtain a letter of confirmation from RoS on the matter.