Azmin tells Hadi: You have no right to decide Bersatu's status in PN
Bersatu secretary-general Mohamed Azmin Ali says only the PN presidential council can determine the party's membership, under Clause 7A of the coalition constitution.
Bersatu has insisted it remains a legitimate component party of Perikatan Nasional (PN), after PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang claimed the party's membership in the coalition had lapsed automatically.
Secretary-general Mohamed Azmin Ali described Hadi's statement as reckless and contrary to the coalition's constitution.
Azmin said no clause in the PN constitution provides for a component party's membership to lapse automatically. Instead, he said, Bersatu's position can only be finalised by the presidential council under Clause 7A of the PN constitution.
"To date, the presidential council has never convened to determine Bersatu's membership in PN. Therefore, Bersatu remains a legitimate PN component party," he said in a statement.
Earlier, Hadi claimed the component party had automatically exited PN without the need for an official letter or a committee decision, as it had announced the formation of a new coalition.
He said joining or setting up another political bloc in itself ends a party's membership in the coalition, according to the principles of the PN constitution.
Azmin said the statement showed the Marang MP lacked basic knowledge of the PN constitution.
Complaint to RoS
Azmin also alleged that actions by the PN chairman and secretary-general in barring Bersatu representatives from attending the supreme council meeting on July 16 breached Clause 7 of the coalition constitution.
That meeting, he said, decided on seat allocation and cooperation with Barisan Nasional for the Negeri Sembilan state election.
"Bersatu will lodge an official complaint with the Registrar of Societies over this serious constitutional violation," he said.
He further claimed that PN, now controlled by PAS, no longer upholds the coalition constitution, and has set aside good governance principles while acting recklessly and undemocratically.
Bersatu, he said, would act in line with the law and the Federal Constitution to defend the principles of justice and moderation.
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