KUALA LUMPUR – Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM) has recruited three outspoken activists, human rights lawyer Siti Zabedah Kassim, corporate figure and podcaster Shamsul “Sam” Saad, and Global Human Rights Association president S. Sashi Kumar with the party leadership promising not to curb their voices.
PBM president Datuk Larry Sng said the three were brought into the party precisely because of their activism and willingness to speak openly on issues they believe in.
He said PBM would not practise the kind of politics where members were expected to simply follow the party whip or leadership directives.
“We will not shackle them. We want them to be themselves,” he said at a press conference today.
“PBM is a party that encourages our members to be vocal on issues they are passionate about.”
PBM National Information chief Ronnie Liu also challenged the idea that the party could control outspoken figures such as Siti Kassim.
“You think we can control Siti Kassim?” he said.
“We cannot and we do not want to.”
Siti Kassim said she agreed to join PBM because its leadership respected her independence and understood that she would not compromise her principles for political membership.
“My principles and my voice are not something I am prepared to surrender for political membership,” she said.
She said her experience as an independent candidate in the 2022 general election had also convinced her that it would be more practical to be part of a political party.
“For instance, if there were 30 independent candidates who won the last election, they could be part of a government coalition. If they are part of a party, it would be easier to consolidate,” she said.
Meanwhile, Shamsul, who hosts the Gutshot podcast, said Malaysia needed structural reforms in education, healthcare and overall governance.
He also called for an end to race-based politics, which he said had become increasingly divisive in recent years.
“We need to reject race-based politics. It has become worse in recent times,” he said, while advocating greater self-reliance among the Bumiputera community.
Sashi Kumar, meanwhile, accused politicians of repeatedly using claims that Malays and Islam were under threat to divert attention from concerns over corruption and the mismanagement of the country’s resources.
“None of them are addressing the issue of racial and religious propaganda,” he said. – October 6, 2027