Constitutional law expert Dr Abdul Aziz Bari has joined DAP today, making him the latest prominent Malay to join the party, after national literary laureate Datuk A. Samad Said.
He contested the Sabak Bernam parliamentary seat under PKR’s banner in the 13th general election and lost.
Aziz said he was thankful for the opportunity to join the party and was not seeking any position, but wanted to serve and contribute to the nation.
“In the opposition alliance, DAP has the most number of parliamentary and state seats and this gives me the confidence that they have the strength and confidence to get ahead.
“I hope my involvement in the party can help speed up things for the opposition to get to Putrajaya,” he said at the DAP headquarters in Kuala Lumpur today.
He also said that it was crucial for the country’s future to have a two-party system, adding that it was the only way to bring prosperity and growth for the people.
When asked if he informed PKR about his plan to join DAP, Aziz said that he had spoken to the party’s secretary general Rafizi Ramli about it.
“I was looking for a bigger space, a group that will give me more freedom and a place where my talent and expertise would be fully utilised, but I am still a part of the coalition that wants to give the electorate in general a choice,” he added.
Aziz was probed by the police last year over articles quoting him allegedly insulting the Sultan of Selangor.
The articles were “Sultan Selangor terikat Deklarasi 1992, perlu lantik Wan Azizah, kata Aziz Bari”, published on September 1 last year, and “Only God, not Sultan, has absolute powers, says legal expert”, on the Selangor menteri besar impasse.
Also present at the press conference today was Samad, who described Aziz’s entry as comforting news.
Samad said he shared the same feelings towards the party as Dr Aziz, in that DAP was a clean party which was truly committed to the growth of the nation.
He warned that the country was facing tough times after the sacking of the attorney-general, which he felt was related to investigations into debt-ridden state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
“It appears that the government is constantly going against the constitution, by acting against those voicing out the truth.
“For example, their actions against The Edge, which I feel was done to stop revelations that were true,” he said, referring to the The Edge Weekly and The Edge Financial Daily which were suspended for three months over their coverage of the 1MDB issue. – July 30, 2015.
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It’s indeed gratifying to see so many Malay notables joining the DAP.