The end for Parti Bebas Rasuah

Mohamad Ezam will continue fighting corruption under Hisbah, while Khairuddin Abu Hassan will do the same under the Gerakan Deklarasi Rakyat movement.

(FMT) – The mission by former senator Mohamad Ezam Mohd Nor and former Umno leader Khairuddin Abu Hassan to form a single party to fight graft under Parti Bebas Rasuah has come to an end.

They had hoped to change the name and constitution of Parti Generasi Baru to Parti Bebas Rasuah to achieve this objective.

Ezam, in a statement today, said after a two-month wait without any positive indication from the Registrar of Societies (RoS), they had decided to drop their application.

He said for the time being, he would continue the fight against corruption under Hisbah Centre For Reform (Hisbah), an NGO which he is heading.

Ezam said the lack of response from the RoS could be because the federal government is not comfortable with the idea of having a party solely to fight against corruption in the country.

He added that such parties with the single objective of fighting corruption existed in several developed and developing countries.

He expressed hope that a new federal government, once the BN government had been toppled, would allow the formation of Parti Bebas Rasuah.

Ezam said he was grateful to Parti Generasi Baru for allowing him the opportunity to spearhead the mission of setting up Parti Bebas Rasuah.

He added that this setback would not break his spirit but would embolden him and Khairuddin to continue their fight against corruption through other means.

For his part, Khairuddin said he would be back to lead his Gerakan Deklarasi Rakyat movement, adding that his fight against corruption in Malaysia would continue.

He said Deklarasi Rakyat was being restructured at the moment and a central committee would be formed. He is also planning a road trip around the country.

He said he would focus on 21 parliamentary seats where there is a big chance of BN losing. There are also 40 state seats and parliamentary seats in Felda areas which are a risk for BN, he said.

Khairuddin said his fight, together with Ezam, was aligned with that of Pakatan Harapan, but added that they had their own ways of doing things.

He said he would work as a team with Ezam, through Hisbah and Deklarasi Rakyat.

“Ezam will continue fighting corruption under Hisbah and I will continue fighting under Deklarasi Rakyat,” Khairuddin said.