Wan Saiful resigns as Bersatu information chief

Tasek Gelugor MP Wan Saiful Wan Jan has resigned as Bersatu information chief following the charges of bribery amounting to RM6.9 million brought against him in court yesterday.

He said he wished to resign in order to clear his name, adding however that he remained a member of the Bersatu Supreme Council. 

He said he had conveyed his wish to resign to Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin and the party's secretary-general Hamzah Zainudin, and that any decision on the matter would be up to the Supreme Council. 

Speaking at a press conference today, he compared his decision to resign with those of others also facing charges in court whom, according to him, were using their executive positions to further their own interests. 

"The post of information chief is an executive position in the party," he said. 

"I am therefore resigning from this position as this has been my stand from the start, until I can clear my name through the legal process."

Adding that his decision was in line with the principle of integrity that he had always sought to champion, he said it also set him apart from the "court cluster" whom he said were "running rampant" in the government led by Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Harapan. 

 Wan Saiful was charged with soliciting and accepting RM6.9 million in bribes in relation to a JanaWibawa project, a day after his arrest by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission. 

He claimed trial to both charges, as Muhyiddin accused Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi of orchestrating "selective prosecution" against his party leaders.

Wan Saiful today said he would not hesitate to take legal action against anyone who tried to smear his image. 

"Don't equate me with individuals in the court cluster," he said, adding that his decision to resign was a positive move for his party as well as PN. 

"This proves that in Bersatu and PN, we don't hesitate," he said. 

"We are not the kind to use positions to further personal interests."