JOHOR BARU: Six out of 17 branch chiefs from the Tebrau Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) division have quit the party.

However, Bersatu Tebrau division acting chief and its election machinery director Kamaruzzaman Abu said that all 3,425 party members from the division have given its commitment to stand with the party.

“Puteri Wangsa incumbent Mazlan Bujang claimed that 23 Tebrau Bersatu branch chiefs and action committee members have decided to leave the party when in reality there are only 17 branches.

“We have had a meeting with all the branch chiefs and only six have decided to leave while the rest, including party members have expressed their loyalty to the party,” he said.

He said this in a press conference after meeting with branch chiefs from the Tebrau Bersatu division here on Saturday (Jan 29).

Kamaruzzaman, who is also Tebrau Bersatu division deputy chief said that Mazlan’s act to leave the party was merely a political move.

“If it is really about not having trust towards party president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, then why did he wait so long to leave?

“Muhyiddin has been the party president since 2016. If that is really the issue, he would have left long time ago. This is merely a political move,” he said.

He also claimed that Mazlan had also refused to have his name nominated to be a candidate for the next general election.

“As part of preparations for the next general election, we had to give names for candidates. However, he had refused to have his name listed several times,” he said.

On Thursday (Jan 27), Tebrau Bersatu chief and former state education, information, heritage and culture committee chairman Mazlan Bujang had announced his exit from the party with immediate effect.

He had claimed that he and 23 Tebrau Bersatu branch chiefs and action committee members have decided to leave the party and throw their support behind Barisan Nasional and the leadership of former Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Hasni Mohammad.

“I have made the decision so that we can give way to a more stable political environment and for the betterment of the Johor people in general,” he said at a press conference at the Komplek Yayasan Warisan on Thursday (Jan 27).