On May 28, it was announced that former Malaysian Prime Minister and former Chairman of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu), Mahathir Mohamad, was expelled by his party.
Four other members were also expelled
Along with Mahathir, four other Bersatu members were also sacked:
- Mukhriz Mahathir, Mahathir's son, former Bersatu Deputy President and former Chief Minister of Kedah
- Syed Saddiq, Youth Chief of Bersatu and former Youth and Sports Minister
- Maszlee Malik, former Education Minister and Bersatu supreme council member
- Amiruddin Hamzah, Bersatu supreme council member
The party had sent them a letter each to inform them of the decision.
"I'm waiting"
On May 29, Mahathir tweeted a video of himself entering Bersatu's headquarters.
The tweet was accompanied by the caption: "I'm in Bersatu's headquarters. You said you wanted to fire me, I'm waiting."
Saya sekarang di Ibu Pejabat BERSATU, kata nak pecat, saya tunggu di pejabat. pic.twitter.com/n6MKKHCsWl
— Dr Mahathir Mohamad (@chedetofficial) May 29, 2020
In the video, Mahathir, who has a mask on, calmly walks into the chairman's office and proceeds to sit on his chair.
According to Malaysiakini, Mahathir was in the building shortly before Bersatu's secretary-general Hamzah Zainudin was scheduled to hold a press conference there.
They were not sacked, but had their memberships stopped
Hamzah later clarified in the press conference that Mahathir and the four members "have not been sacked".
Instead, he explained that they "had their memberships stopped".
Hamzah added:
"This is in accordance with the party constitution because the interest of the party is above any individual... No one is above the law when the party has its own constitution."
In a separate report by Malaysiakini, Mahathir's lawyer confirmed that he has appealed the nullification of his Bersatu membership with Malaysia's Registrar of Societies and the party.
Top images from Mahathir Mohammad/Twitter.
If you like what you read, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Telegram to get the latest updates.