Rafizi said suspensions would do nothing to solve the underlying issues and would not deter them from fulfilling their duties as elected representatives.

“This move only reinforces the perception that PKR no longer tolerates dissent, especially when other MPs like Hassan Karim have criticised the prime minister even more harshly in the past, yet faced no consequences,” he said in a post on X.

Rafizi also said that the suspensions would reduce PKR’s numbers in Parliament to 22, fewer than DAP, Barisan Nasional (BN), and Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS). PKR currently holds 31 seats in the Dewan Rakyat.

The nine MPs that the PKR division chiefs are seeking to suspend are Rafizi (Pandan); Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad (Setiawangsa); Rodziah Ismail (Ampang); Wong Chen (Subang); Zahir Hassan (Wangsa Maju); Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik (Balik Pulau); Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh (Ledang); S Kesavan (Sungai Siput), and Onn Abu Bakar (Batu Pahat).

The group called for the establishment of an RCI and a hearing by a parliamentary select committee following delays in the appointment of the chief justice and Court of Appeal president, which they said amounted to a constitutional crisis.

PKR division chiefs said the MPs’ actions not only breached party discipline and ethics, but also cast a negative light on the prime minister’s leadership and opened the door to political manipulation by rivals.

Rafizi today pushed back against the group’s critics, reminding them that PKR was built on freedom of speech and activism, not blind loyalty or the silencing of dissent.

“We were once popular with the public because we were the fastest and loudest in championing their issues,” he said.

“That’s what we ‘old-timers’ practised until PKR succeeded in forming the government, opening the door for new leaders, such as these division chiefs, to now hold high positions.”