KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 18 -- Federal opposition party Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia has filed a lawsuit against five MPs who had gone rogue and are now former party members, in order to make them lose the parliamentary seats they had won under the party’s banner.

In the lawsuit, Bersatu sued Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul and the five MPs: Datuk Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid (Kuala Kangsar), Mohd Azizi Abu Naim (Gua Musang), Zahari Kechik (Jeli), Datuk Syed Abu Hussin Hafiz Syed Abdul Fasal (Bukit Gantang) and Datuk Dr Zulkafperi Hanapi (Tanjong Karang).

All these five MPs had previously given their support to ruling party PKR’s president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in his current role as prime minister.

In the lawsuit filed on November 15 at the High Court in Kuala Lumpur, Bersatu is seeking 11 court declarations, including a declaration that the five MPs’ seats have become vacant under the Federal Constitution’s Article 49A(1)(a)(ii).

Under Article 49A(1)(a)(ii), an MP will cease to be an MP and his parliamentary seat becomes vacant when the Dewan Rakyat Speaker establishes a casual vacancy for the seat. This applies to the situation where an MP is elected as a member of a political party, but ceases to be that party’s member.

The other court declarations that Bersatu is asking for are mainly focused on the Dewan Rakyat Speaker’s decision that the five MPs’ seats had not become vacant.