Johor PKR postpones emergency press conference, Anwar to speak to the media at 5pm

Johor PKR has postponed until further notice an urgent press conference that was due to be held at 10am on Monday after being asked to do so by party adviser Anwar Ibrahim.

The state political bureau was due to announce its stand on the seats allocation after DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang announced that PKR had agreed to give away the Gelang Patah and Bentong seats to his party.

It is learned that the majority of Johor PKR leaders and grassroots are vehemently against such a move and want Anwar to clarify their predicament.He is due to meet them at 3pm today.

Informed sources tell Malaysia Chronicle that the Johor political bureau had wanted to demand the return of Bakri and two other seats, including Tangkak, in exchange for Gelang Patah.

"Make no mistake, we are not giving up. We do not accept the argument that the means justify the ends. Only dictators like Mahathir Mohamad say such things and we do not accept Dr M or BN," the source said.

"But Anwar has to clarify. Most of us believe he is to blame because it is obvious this is not just about Gelang Patah or Johor. It is not a one-off swap. There is a trend in his actions. It is time for him to answer the question - if he is not serious about making PKR a multi-racial party, how serious is he about making Malaysia a multi-racial country with equal opportunity for all."

Multi-racial Malaysia: But how multi-racial is PAS, DAP and PKR?

There appears to be some grounds to the latest claims against Anwar. There has been simmering discontent among the minority groups, including the Chinese and the Indians, within PKR that he deliberately blocked their growth and development in the party.

It has led to accusations that he wanted to keep PKR a 'Malay party' with DAP its Chinese partner instead of building PKR up into a Malaysian party where ethnic background was secondary or even irrelevant.

Apart from Gelang Patah and Bentong (Pahang), Anwar has in the past also been accused of deliberately serving up seats to DAP in Perak as well as in Sarawak during the state's 2011 election.

Stop the deception, reject the 'politics of hero-worship'

Malaysia Chronicle has not been able to reach either Anwar or Johor PKR chief Chua Jui Meng for their side of the story.

However, Johor PKR has issued a statement inviting the press to now cover Anwar instead. He is due to meet the media at 5pm on Monday at a forum in the Tropical Inn, Johor Baru.

"Johor is an acid test for Anwar and for PR. Die-hard supporters of DAP can villainize and try to bully Johor PKR but these guys have set a new standard in our political landscape that should be emulated by all political parties and demanded by all Malaysians. Stop the hero-worship and blinkered adulation of top leaders. Look at Guan Eng and his ego now. Remember they are also human with all the human vices, fully capable of cheating, conniving and backstabbing," a PR watcher told Malaysia Chronicle.

"If we say we want transparency, then whether BN, DAP, PKR or PAS, we must ensure that we achieve this and not keep lying for the sake of getting favors from the top leaders. If we say we want a multi-racial and decent Malaysia, without extremists like Perkasa, Umno, MCA and MIC, then PR leaders must also lead by example and not say one thing to the public and then at the 11th hour pull the rug out from their own people."

Malaysia Chronicle