“They made the announcement and we have no issue and we accept,” its president Brig-Gen (Rtd) Mohamed Arshad Raji told FMT when contacted.

Patriot had previously hit out at Danyal Balagopal Abdullah for resigning as Port Dickson MP to make way for Anwar Ibrahim to contest in a by-election in the constituency.

Arshad then said that Danyal, a retired rear admiral, had betrayed his voters and was merely “a piece in the chessboard used in the game of politics to suit his party’s convenience”.

He also said it was “ridiculous” for Danyal to have won the seat in a hard-fought battle only to give it up. Arshad, however, said the group was not against Anwar contesting in a by-election.

On Anwar’s promise today that he would continue to speak up for veterans, Arshad said he was grateful for that.

“But we will hold him to it as it is not only Patriot which will be keeping tabs but also 300,000-odd veterans and their families.”