A veteran Malaysian politician’s resignation from parliament and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s People’s Justice Party (PKR) to join a fledgling progressive rival widens an exodus of reformist figures as the ruling coalition reels from a string of electoral setbacks.
Wong Chen, a three-term lawmaker who had spent nearly two decades in PKR, said on Wednesday that he had applied to join newly rebranded Bersama after resigning his Subang parliamentary seat on Monday and leaving PKR the following morning.
His application was officially approved during the press conference.
“It was a heartbreaking moment,” Wong said of leaving PKR. Describing Bersama as the next stage of his political career, he said Malaysia was passing through a “very toxic” political phase that required a multiracial progressive alternative.
Wong is the third sitting MP to surrender his parliamentary position before moving to Bersama. Former economy minister Rafizi Ramli and former environment minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad vacated their seats in May before leaving PKR.
Malaysia’s anti-party hopping law bars MPs from changing parties while keeping their seats.