Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Johari Abdul will announce his decision tomorrow, on whether or not there will be vacancies in the four Sabah parliamentary seats contested by four former Bersatu politicians in the 15th general election.
Dubbed the “Bersatu Four”, the four Sabahan MPs had run for public office under the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) banner last November and may have to vacate their seats if Johari decides they are in violation of the anti-party hopping law, which will force fresh polls to be called.
“I have received all documents and their answers and I have 21 days to respond. I am sitting on it because I am getting more feedback from legal officers.
“I should finalise it by Friday,” he told The Star in an interview published today.
Johari added that he will inform all four MPs by letter.
The four Sabah MPs are: Minister in the Prime Ministers’ Department Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali (Papar); Deputy Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan (Batu Sapi); Datuk Matbali Musah (Sipitang); and Datuk Jonathan Yassin (Ranau).
All four MPs previously stated that they were GRS direct members when they contested the November 19 general election, and as such, they were not representing Bersatu.
Bersatu vice-president Datuk Ronald Kiandee sent a formal petition to the Speaker on December 29, 2022 seeking vacancy for the four seats insisting that the quartet had contested GE15 while with the party when it was still a component of GRS, which automatically meant they were in foul of the anti-party hopping law.
