Rafizi, Nik Nazmi Say They Are Free From RM10 Million Bond — PKR Disagrees, Cites “Timestamp Evidence”
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Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli and Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad resigned from PKR on Monday (18 May), announcing they would vacate their parliamentary seats for Pandan and Setiawangsa, respectively, before formally joining the newly formed Malaysian United Party (MUP).
Their argument was straightforward: by giving up their seats before switching parties, they were not technically hopping — and therefore not bound by PKR’s RM10 million internal bond, nor subject to Malaysia’s Anti-Party Hopping Act.
It was a carefully sequenced exit.
But PKR says the sequence may not be as clean as it looks.
The Timestamp Problem
PKR Secretary-General Datuk Fuziah Salleh told reporters in Johor Bahru on Monday (18 May) that the party has evidence that both men had already joined MUP before their seat vacancies were announced.
The evidence? Their names appeared on MUP’s website, with a timestamp of 17 May.
If you follow the party constitution, they had already hopped on the 17th, before they vacated their seats today.
Rafizi and Nik Nazmi’s defence rests on the sequence — that vacating came first; PKR’s counter is that intent came first, and the website listing proves it.
The evidence Fuziah mentioned is the Leadership (Kepimpinan) section of the Bersama website; it bears a generic description of how Bersama was established 10 years ago by a group of normal citizens who weren’t politicians.
What follows the description are photos of Rafizi and Nik Nazmi, bearing brief biographies of the two.
The language does not indicate they are leaders or even members of Bersama.
What The Bond Actually Means
The RM10 million bond is an internal party mechanism — separate from the federal Anti-Party Hopping Act — designed to deter elected representatives from leaving PKR while holding seats won under the party’s ticket.
Rafizi himself acknowledged the bond’s existence but maintained it does not apply to his situation, citing the seat vacation as the key factor.
PKR’s legal team is now reviewing the matter.
The party’s Political Bureau is expected to discuss potential action against both men at a meeting on Wednesday (20 May).
Rafizi, 47, was PKR’s Deputy President and the country’s Minister of Economy before his resignation. Nik Nazmi, the party’s former Vice President, served as the Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability.
Their departure to MUP — alongside other senior figures — represents one of the most significant splits within Pakatan Harapan’s coalition in recent years, with direct implications for the government’s parliamentary majority.
The RM10 million question may ultimately be settled in court, but the political damage is already being counted in seats, not ringgit.
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Rafizi, Nik Nazmi Say They Are Free From RM10 Million Bond — PKR Disagrees, Cites “Timestamp Evidence”
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