Pas clarifies Ex-Nenggiri rep, Jeli MP did not take pledge of loyalty

Former Nenggiri assemblyman Mohd Azizi Abu Naim and Jeli Member of Parliament Zahari Kechik, who recently declared their support for the Prime Minister’s administration, did not take the bai’ah (pledge of loyalty) during the last general election.

(NST) – Pas vice-president Datuk Mohd Amar Abdullah clarified that Azizi and Zahari, along with six other candidates who contested in the 15th General Election (GE15) under Pas-Bersatu tickets, instead took the akujanji (pledge) as required by Bersatu.

“It is a tradition in Pas for all party candidates to take the bai’ah once they are elected to represent the party in any election. In GE15, all 51 Pas candidates took the bai’ah except for the eight Bersatu candidates, including Azizi and Zahari,” said Mohd Amar, who is also the Kelantan State Assembly speaker.

Pas contested in 51 of the 59 state and parliamentary seats in the last general election, with the remainder contested by Bersatu.

The bai’ah for Pas candidates commonly includes a clause that requires elected representatives to relinquish their positions if they leave or are expelled from the party.

Azizi was recently stripped of his Bersatu membership, and on Wednesday, Mohd Amar declared his Nenggiri state seat vacant.

Following the vacancy, the Election Commission (EC) will hold a special meeting on June 28 to address the Nenggiri by-election in Kelantan.

EC secretary Datuk Ikmalrudin Ishak confirmed receiving an official notification from Kelantan State Legislative Assembly Speaker Datuk Mohd Amar Abdullah about the unexpected vacancy of the N.43 Nenggiri seat.

The MPs in question include Bukit Gantang MP Datuk Syed Hussin Hafiz Syed Abdul Fasal, Zahari, Kuala Kangsar MP Datuk Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid, Tanjong Karang MP Datuk Dr Zulkafperi Hanapi, Labuan MP Datuk Suhaili Abdul Rahman, and Azizi.