PETALING JAYA: Bersatu’s Labuan MP Suhaili Abdul Rahman has rejected calls to vacate his seat after declaring his support for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
Suhaili said the people of Labuan gave the mandate to represent them to him, not anyone else.
“I contested the seat on a Perikatan Nasional ticket. But it must be remembered that it was not the PN leadership that chose me but the people of Labuan,” he told FMT.
He also described calls to vacate his seat as “unreasonable”, saying that he had not “committed any crime” by supporting the current administration.
“I back the government because I need allocations. Is it a crime to seek these allocations to help the people in Labuan?”
Earlier today, Bersatu information chief Razali Idris challenged the four Bersatu MPs backing Anwar to quit and stand as independents in by-elections to test the people’s support for them.
The senator said the four had betrayed their voters and Bersatu grassroots with their move.
Suhaili is one of the four MPs who pledged their support for Anwar in a bid to secure allocations for their constituencies.
The others are Zahari Kechik (Jeli), Azizi Abu Naim (Gua Musang) and Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid (Kuala Kangsar).
As a result of his action, Suhaili has been suspended for six years by Bersatu’s disciplinary board, which ruled that he had violated the party’s constitution.
