The son of former deputy prime minister Tun Abdul Ghafar Baba sent a letter to withdraw his membership from the Islamist party, which was received by the PAS headquarters today, said a source in the party who confirmed the letter with The Malaysian Insider.
The letter was addressed to the PAS secretary-general, Datuk Mustafa Ali, in which Tamrin wrote that he would leave with effect from October 15.
"I hope the party records can be updated to reflect my membership status in line with this decision", Tamrin, the former chairman of Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara), had written.
Rumours have been going around for some weeks that Tamrin, who joined PAS in August 2012, would be leaving PAS because he was unhappy with the party's direction, and with the way it handled the Selangor menteri besar impasse.
Upon joining PAS four years ago, he was reported to have said that it would be a good alternative for Malaysia's future.
He had ruled out any possibility of returning to Umno, calling the Malay-based party a lost cause.
Tamrin, the second of Ghafar's 11 children, had been supportive of Pakatan Rakyat for some time before joining PAS because he believed Umno had deviated from its original struggle. As a result of his public criticism of Umno, the party's disciplinary board issued him a showcause letter before he quit to join PAS.
Tamrin was the MP for Batu Berendam in Malacca from 1986 to 1995. The constituency has since been renamed Bukit Katil.
His decision to join PAS was a coup of sorts for the Islamist party, given his own Umno credentials and that his father had been an Umno strongman and the deputy prime minister.
Tamrin campaigned for PAS and Pakatan Rakyat in the 13th general election last year.
He is now believed to be joining a new movement against racism, Gerakan Anti-Perkauman (GAP), which is to be launched this evening.
He first mooted the idea on May 13 last year at a forum to discuss the anniversary of the race riots in Kuala Lumpur. – TMI
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