<figure id="attachment_2726444" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-2726444" style="width: 1600px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-2726444" src="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/e9d2de69-suhaili-abdul-rahman-bernama-020424.webp" alt="Suhaili Abdul Rahma" width="1600" height="1000" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-2726444" class="wp-caption-text">The Shah Alam High Court struck out Labuan MP Suhaili Abdul Rahman’s suit against Bersatu over his expulsion from the party in May last year with costs of RM5,000. (Bernama pic)</figcaption></figure>
PETALING JAYA: The High Court in Shah Alam has struck out a lawsuit brought by Labuan MP Suhaili Abdul Rahman seeking a declaration that his expulsion from Bersatu last year was invalid and illegal.
Justice Noor Hayati Mat said the court could not adjudicate on the matter due to a prohibition imposed by Section 18C of the Societies Act 1966.
&#8220;The provision states any decision made by a political party cannot be reviewed by the court,&#8221; she said in her decision delivered in proceedings held online this afternoon.
Hayati also ordered Suhaili to pay costs of RM5,000 to Bersatu.
Lawyers Firoz Hussein Ahmad Jamaluddin, Choo Shi Jin and Woo J Enn represented Suhaili while counsel Chetan Jethwani and Tang Jia Yearn acted for Bersatu.
Suhaili, who filed the lawsuit on July 1 last year, said that on Nov 2, 2023, the Bersatu disciplinary board issued a letter informing him that he was being charged for allegedly violating Article 22.1(f) of the party’s constitution.
He said the charge was in respect of a press statement he had made supporting Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
Suhaili said that on Nov 3, 2023, he wrote to the board explaining that the press statement was made due to the party’s failure to provide funds to help the people of Labuan.
He claimed that despite providing a reasonable explanation, the board illegally and irrationally decided to suspend his membership for six years on Nov 7, 2023.
Suhaili subsequently commenced the suit in the Kota Kinabalu High Court on Dec 19, 2023, but the case was dismissed after the court ruled it had to be filed in the peninsula.
On May 17, Suhaili claimed to have received a letter from Bersatu secretary-general Hamzah Zainudin informing him that he was automatically expelled for filing a lawsuit against the party based on Article 10.2.6 of its constitution.

MatchPoint Times

Labuan MP’s suit against Bersatu struck out

The High Court says it cannot hear the case due to Section 18C of the Societies Act 1966.

Dollar fighting for footing as trade talks begin

Penang to rename Batu Kawan road after Pak Lah