The wing’s chief, Salahuddin Mustapha, said the former executive councillor should respect the party and let voters decide on a new representative.

“As members and part of the party’s machinery who had helped him win the constituency, we are disappointed with his action.

“If he has lost interest (in the party) and makes a decision without consulting the party, it would be better for him to step down as an assemblyman and make way for a by-election,” Salahuddin told FMT.

Earlier today, Rashid declared his support for Amirudin, adding that his decision to back the Pakatan Harapan (PH)-led state government was voluntary.

Rashid said he was prompted to support Amirudin after going through the Selangor sultan’s speech when opening the state assembly session, where the Ruler praised the state administration for being on the right track.

The former culture, tourism, Malay civilisation and heritage executive councillor also said the move to back Amiruddin was a result of a series of actions by Perikatan Nasional (PN), especially Selangor PN’s silence on accusations levelled against the Rulers.

Rashid was first elected as Selat Klang assemblyman in 2018, when Bersatu was a component of the PH coalition.

He defended his seat in the state election last year, with a strong majority of 42,703 votes ahead of Umno’s Roslee Abd Hamid.

Rashid’s decision to back Amirudin comes days after Bersatu amended its constitution to prevent the government from “buying” its MPs.

Under the amended clause, a Bersatu MP or assemblyman will automatically cease to be a party member if he or she supports any other party or policy that is not aligned with Bersatu’s position.