Tun Faisal reminds Bersatu reps of RM10mil pledge

Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz, the information chief of the Barisan Nasional (Bersatu) party, has cautioned elected representatives who abandon the party to surrender their seats and pay a hefty RM10 million compensation fee. In a Facebook post, Tun Faisal reminded party members of the oath and commitment they made upon being elected as candidates for elections.

The warning came in the wake of Terengganu executive councillor Razali Idris hinting at leaving Bersatu for a new political party, more than a month after stepping down as the Terengganu Bersatu chairman. Razali had signed a pledge agreeing to resign as a state assemblyman, MP, or senator if he left the party. When faced with the implications of Razali's potential defection, another Bersatu leader, Kijal assemblyman Razali, defended the party's commitment to its directives, stating that part of the pledge he signed was in compliance with Islamic teachings.

However, Razali questioned the consequences of such actions, citing the example of Perlis, where five Bersatu and three PAS assemblymen withdrew their support for Perlis menteri besar Shukri Ramli from PAS, causing a leadership crisis. Shukri subsequently resigned due to health reasons, and the state assembly speaker declared the three PAS-held seats vacant.

Consequently, Bersatu's Abu Bakar Hamzah became the new menteri besar, altering the Perlis government's allegiance from PAS to Bersatu. Since then, several Bersatu leaders, including the Kangar division committee, youth and women's wing leaders, and 90 branch chiefs, have left the party to join Wawasan, a result of dissatisfaction with the party's leadership.