The former Pengkalan Batu assemblyman said he will be vying for a post in the Hang Tuah Jaya Bersatu division, but declined to reveal which position, Sinar Harian reported.

There is, however, no contest for the division chief’s post.

Norhizam said he decided to throw his hat into the ring as he wanted to defend the rights of the Malays, which he maintained was always his top priority, even when he was in DAP from 2006 to 2020.

“No one should say that I hopped parties. When I left DAP in 2020, I became an independent assemblyman. Only after that did I join Bersatu, so there’s no party-hopping here,” he was quoted as saying.

The former Melaka executive councillor also declined to reveal when he officially joined Bersatu.

Norhizam told FMT last month he planned on making a political comeback at the next Melaka election, and that he had yet to decide between joining PAS or Bersatu.

Norhizam was elected the Pengkalan Batu assemblyman in the 2018 general election. He had stirred controversy over his short temper, which drew attention after a tirade during a dialogue with residents over the closure of a road.

Nicknamed “YB Hulk” among many others, Norhizam was sacked by DAP in March 2020 for retracting his support for then Melaka chief minister Adly Zahari, leading to the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan state government.

In 2021, he was among the assemblymen who withdrew support for then chief minister Sulaiman Ali, leading to a snap election.

Norhizam sought to defend his seat as an independent candidate but failed, managing to garner only 1,218 votes.