Jailani bound by BN candidate agreement, says Rauf

July 20, 2024

Jailani bound by BN candidate agreement, says Rauf

KUALA LUMPUR: Rembia assemblyman Jailani Khamis is bound by an agreement he signed when he was named as a Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate in the 2021 Melaka election, says state Umno chief Ab Rauf Yusoh.

Rauf, who is also Melaka chief minister, said Jailani would have to compensate the party a “reasonable” amount of money since he had defected to PAS.

“He signed the agreement and agreed to pay costs if he, as an Umno and BN elected representative, joined another party. The agreement was signed by all candidates, who admitted to agreeing with the clause.

“The watikah (letter of appointment) for BN candidates was only given after this agreement was signed,” Rauf said at a press conference here, adding that the matter would be brought to the Umno Supreme Council.
Rauf said the state government and Melaka assembly speaker Ibrahim Durum would study the issue in detail before deciding if Jailani’s seat in the state assembly would be vacated.

He said they would also determine if Jailani joining PAS in June 2023 was in breach of the state’s anti-hopping enactment, which was only passed by the state assembly the month after.

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On Tuesday, PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan announced that Jailani had joined the Islamic party in June 2023, adding that he had not breached the anti-hopping law since Melaka’s enactment was only passed on July 31 that year.

Yesterday, Umno Youth chief and Melaka executive councillor Dr Akmal Saleh claimed that Jailani had to pay the party RM100 million for breaching the agreement he signed as a BN candidate for the 2021 Melaka polls.

A deputy executive councillor also pointed out that Jailani had remained seated in the government bloc at state assembly sessions since last year despite purportedly already being a PAS member.