SHAH ALAM: Selat Klang assemblyman Datuk Abdul Rashid Asari has warned Bersatu they could lose if the seven elected representative the party has sacked have their seats vacated, triggering by-elections.
He said that Bersatu should not be too confident of winning the by-elections if the six parliamentary seats and his own seat are vacated by the Dewan Rakyat and Selangor assembly speakers.
Rashid, however, is unsure of his own candidacy should the Selat Klang seat be vacated.
Speaking to the New Straits Times and Harian Metro today, he said that he has yet to decide whether to contest.
"I am not sure yet whether I will proceed (to contest) or not because I am disappointed with Bersatu.
"If the speaker vacates the seat in Selat Klang, I will have no choice but to leave the party. However, I am free to choose any party; I could join PKR, Amanah, or even my former party, Umno.
"But for now, I haven't given it much thought because my membership status is still unresolved," he said.
Expanding further on his disappointment with Bersatu, Rashid said it was due to how the party treated him, which prompted him to declare support for the Selangor government under Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amiruddin Shaari.
"What I am very disappointed about was my nine-year effort in establishing Bersatu Selangor, dedicating my time, energy and finances to the cause, of which I cannot recall how much I have spent.
"When the party gained popularity and people started to respect and favour it, we even won 12 new seats recently. But despite this success, I felt sidelined by the party," he said.
Rashid recounted another instance when Bersatu, Pas and Gerakan made a written agreement regarding the seat distribution for the general election, in which, he said, the Kapar seat was allocated to Bersatu in the 15th General Election in 2022.
He said Pas even sent a letter to Perikatan Nasional, stating that they would not deviate from this agreement.
"However, at the last minute, when finalising the seat allocation, Pas requested the Kapar seat.
"Eventually, Bersatu agreed to hand over the Kapar seat to Pas. I defended the Kapar seat because if Pas got it, they would retain it till kiamat (the end of the world), causing Bersatu to lose a seat to Pas. But despite my efforts, nobody cared," he added.
During the state election, Rashid said that Bersatu had 22 seats, but due to the refusal of two division chiefs to be nominated, it was left with 20.
He said only five division chiefs were selected out of 20, leading to resentment towards him, adding that the rest came from the supreme council.
"In light of these events, I made the decision to support the government because I no longer see any prospects in Bersatu. I cannot see a future for myself in the party," he said.
The six MPs who had previously declared support for the unity government are Bukit Gantang's Datuk Syed Abu Hussin Hafiz Syed Abdul Fasal; Zahari Kechik (Jeli); Mohd Azizi Abu Naim (Gua Musang); Datuk Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid (Kuala Kangsar), Datuk Suhaili Abdul Rahman (Labuan) and Datuk Dr Zulkafperi Hanafi (Tanjong Karang).
Bersatu had recently announced the seven elected representatives' sacking from the party after they did not reply to letters ordering them to affirm their allegiance.