PETALING JAYA: Members of Parliament will adhere to the decision made by their own parties when it comes to naming the prime minister candidate in their statutory declarations (SDs), say several of them.

       MPs from across the divide said this was one way of getting the majority needed for the chosen MP to be appointed the new prime minister by the King.

       Three Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia MPs said all their representatives had signed SDs and that they had all agreed on a candidate.

       “The issue of different candidates has not arisen. We are abiding by the party rules,” said one of the Bersatu MPs, who declined to be named, when contacted yesterday.

       PKR’s Selayang MP William Leong said: “When one is a party member, one plays by its rules.

       “The party decision or personal decision will be the same. There is no pressure. It is voluntary,” he said when contacted, referring to the SDs.

       Leong agreed that a party member must toe the party line when it came to major decisions.

       Umno’s Ketereh MP and former federal territories minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa said he would submit his SD after consulting his party leaders.

       “I will fulfil my responsibility after I have consulted my party leadership and my friends from friendly parties.

       “What I am sure of is that I intend to name a top party leader of Barisan Nasional.

       “I ask that this name also be supported by the MPs from the other parties.

       “This is the time for us to forget the past, look forward to the future and strengthen party unity, as well as the cooperation and unity of Malaysians of all races,” Annuar added.

       PAS deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said PAS MPs always followed the decisions made by their leadership.

       “We have agreed on a name en bloc and we hope the others will support the candidate,” he said when contacted.

       “Even after the SDs are delivered, it is likely that the King may decide to verify the SDs by calling each MP, as what had happened in February last year.

       “There is a likelihood that His Majesty may want to be fully satisfied when he makes a decision on the matter,” said Tuan Ibrahim.

       He was at the audience with Yang di-Pertuan Agong yesterday with several leaders of other parties to discuss the issue of the next prime minister.

       A former PKR MP turned Independent said he was leaning towards Bersatu’s choice of a new prime minister.

       “I am an independent, but I announced that when I left PKR, I will be friendly to Perikatan Nasional. Therefore, it is right that I stick with Perikatan.

       “No one is forcing me, but that is the rule of the game,” he said.