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| Close to shadowy businessman John Soh |
Salehuddin said that while the court had decided that it could not interfere in the party’s management, PKR must be held responsible for attempting to falsify a dismissal letter.
“I am not so much concerned on the suitability of S Jenapala to run in that election as much as I am that my name and the office I held were used fraudulently as evidence that a member has been sacked by me,” he told a press conference here.
“I am pleased to note that officials of PKR have indicated that they will give their fullest co-operation; unlike Tian Chua who apparently had appointed himself spokesman for the police by saying that the police will not be interested in the technical details,” said Salehuddin.
“May I remind everyone that it is the details that make up the whole, and that it was poor attention to details that resulted in the poor control and management of the recent party elections,” he added.
Jenapala was a former deputy secretary-general who was prevented from contesting in the PKR election as the party claimed that he had been sacked in February last year for attempting to form a new party.
He sought a declaration at the Kuala Lumpur High Court that he was still a PKR member and eligible to contest the deputy presidency.
PKR submitted to the court a dismissal letter purportedly signed by Salehuddin in February last year.
The letter, dated February 2, 2009, was addressed to Jenapala informing him of his termination from PKR due to his alleged involvement in setting up a new party.
Salehuddin later filed an affidavit claiming that he did not issue the said letter and lodged a police report over the matter.
“All the big power abuses that we may see today did not start off the way they are now. They started off as small almost insignificant acts of deceit such as the one I am highlighting now,” said Salehuddin.
He also pointed out that the PKR political bureau only discussed possible action against Jenapala in August 2009, seven months after the alleged sacking took place.
“The court had decided in Jenapala’s case that it has no jurisdiction. But let me remind you that this case is a criminal matter,” said Salehuddin, citing provisions in the Penal Code.
“I trust the wrongdoers in PKR will be brought to court. This is not a political matter, this is a criminal matter,” he added.
Salehuddin also reiterated his stand that the letter was against the party constitution and would have resulted in strong reaction by Jenapala if it was indeed issued last year.
“If you look at the letter, I can even sack Anwar Ibrahim. Am I that powerful?” said Salehuddin.
The letter showed that Salehuddin acted on his own to sack Jenapala and was not under the instruction of the PKR central leadership council, the only body in the party empowered to sack members.
“Any self-respecting secretary-general who does his job would have reacted in astonishment if he had ‘found the letter in the files’,” said Salehuddin.
The current secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution had denied any knowledge of forgery, saying that the letter was obtained from the secretariat.
Saifuddin took over as secretary-general last January.
- Malaysian Insider
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