Rizal Faris Mohideen Kader also questioned the legality of the EGM, saying the meeting had not been decided during an executive meeting by DPMM yesterday to find a solution to the dispute.
Rizal said the move was timed for DPMM’s annual general meeting (AGM) this evening, so that its deputy president Syed Hussein Alhabshee could take over the chamber’s leadership.
“Syed Hussein and few others defiantly conducted an unconstitutional EGM to call for the removal of DPMM’s president. The rogue group appears to be adamant about taking over the chair of the annual general meeting, which will be happening shortly,” Rizal said in a statement to FMT released by the chamber.
At an EGM today, a total of 89 out of 92 delegates supported a resolution to boot out Rizal, the head of DPMM’s Penang chapter who was elected as president for three years in May last year.
The EGM also appointed Syed Hussein as the chamber’s acting president.
In a suit filed two months ago by 18 members including Syed Hussein, Rizal was accused of spending RM5 million allocated to DPMM by the Prime Minister’s Office in May 2018.
They said the money was not deposited into the chamber’s account, but was instead channelled into Yayasan DPMM Pulau Pinang Berhad’s account without approval.
They also claimed RM1 million was credited to DPMM from a company known as “Redberry” and Rizal had decided to use the money for an election campaign, without prior approval from the chamber.
Rizal today urged members not to believe “rumours and accusations” against him.
“Please have faith in the rule of law, our constitution and due process,” he said.
He said the bid to oust him had complicated his plans to rejuvenate the chamber, adding that it was his focus after being elected as president last year.
“My agenda has been to stop the toxic politics that had stunted the organisation for the last few decades and reform the Chamber as a credible and reliable partner to the Government in developing our nation.
“This kind of toxic power politics has resulted in members losing sight of the Chamber’s primary purpose: to uplift the community of Malay entrepreneurs and businesses,” said Rizal.