Rembia Assemblyman Must Prove PAS Membership Since 2023 - CM

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 22 (Bernama) -- Rembia assemblyman Datuk Muhammad Jailani Khamis must provide proof that he joined PAS in 2023 before the upcoming State Legislative Assembly sitting in November, said Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh.

Ab Rauf, who is also Melaka UMNO Liaison Committee chairman, said Muhammad Jailani needs to present detailed information regarding his status in PAS before any decisions are made about him.

“He has declared himself a PAS member since 2023, so we need proof of his membership from that year. If he cannot provide evidence, it will seem like he is just making the claim without substance.

“If we take this matter to court, he could deny it, but where is the proof? He needs to prove his membership since then,” he told reporters after visiting the media centre for the UMNO General Assembly 2024 at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur today.

Ab Rauf said that his party has also sent a letter to PAS to confirm Muhammad Jailani’s membership in the party.

On July 19, Ab Rauf said that Muhammad Jailani’s status as Rembia assemblyman would be determined by Melaka State Assembly Speaker Datuk Ibrahim Durum.

He said that the Speaker would review the matter in accordance with state laws and enactments.

PAS secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan confirmed on July 16  that Muhammad Jailani, who was previously suspended from UMNO, was accepted as a PAS member on June 10, 2023.

He claimed this did not constitute party-hopping, as the Melaka State Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2023 on party-hopping was passed on July 31, 2023, after Muhammad Jailani joined PAS.

A letter from the UMNO Disciplinary Board dated Aug 28 last year, accused Muhammad Jailani of sabotaging the party by attending the announcement of the Perikatan Nasional candidate for the Simpang Jeram by-election in Bakri, Johor.

-- BERNAMA