Siti Aishah holds up a statement by Perak PPBM chief Ahmad Faizal Azumu, which announced the rejection of Jamaluddin's application to join the party. — Picture by Marcus Pheong

IPOH, May 15 — Perak Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) has rejected the membership application of former Behrang assemblyman Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi.

In a statement released today, state party chief and Mentri Besar Ahmad Faizal Azumu announced that Jamaluddin’s application to join the party yesterday had been rejected without negotiation.

Jamaluddin was one of three Pakatan Rakyat assemblymen who had defected to Barisan Nasional (BN) in 2009 — triggering the Perak constitutional crisis.

“This decision has been made on the principle that anyone’s entry into Pakatan Harapan (PH), especially in Perak, will be placed under strict evaluation,” Faizal said in a statement read out by PKR information chief Senator Siti Aishah Shaik Ismail.

“This is to ensure that the previous unhappy episodes suffered by the people do not repeat themselves.”

Faizal also thanked the people of Perak for being vocal about the issue, as well as the PH leadership who stood with him to ensure the strength of the state government.

Jamaluddin was one of around 200 former Umno members who had submitted their applications to join PPBM yesterday. They were led by Sungai Manik assemblyman Datuk Zainol Fadzi Paharudin.

The issue saw the Perak MB draw flak from multiple quarters, including DAP’s Ipoh Timur MP Wong Kah Who, who said PPBM should not simply accept those who had betrayed the people’s trust into Pakatan Harapan (PH).

Faizal admitted that he was present at the function, but noted that he was initially unaware of Jamaluddin’s presence.

Faizal said he was only there to accept Zainol’s entry into PPBM and celebrate the participation of the rest as a sign of support for the party.

“After the press conference, I was made aware of his presence. Jamaluddin was one of the factors behind the betrayal of the Pakatan Rakyat government in 2008.”

“Taking everything into consideration, we have decided to reject his application.”

Faizal also thanked the people of Perak for being vocal about the issue, as well as the PH leadership who stood with him to ensure the strength of the state government.

Meanwhile, Siti Aishah said any other assemblymen who wanted to join PH were welcome to do so, but would not be considered for administrative positions in Perak.

“There will be no political appointments for anyone besides the two who originally came,” said Siti Aishah, referring to Zainol and Tualang Sekah assemblyman Datuk Nolee Ashilin Mohammed Radzi.

“I have been informed that we will consider only one spot for these individuals, and this will be discussed by the Perak PH leadership council within the next two days.”

So far, only Zainol has submitted an application to join PPBM, while Nolee said she does not plan to join the Pakatan Harapan (PH) pact.