PKR Wanita chief insists Azmin should open wings' congresses

PKR Wanita chief Haniza Mohamed Talha is insisting that party deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali officiates the annual congresses for the Women and Youth wings.

This came despite the decision of PKR youth's national leadership to break convention by inviting party advisor Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail to officiate the event.

"I hope the youth wing will be with us during the opening of the Wanita congress. It's a tradition for both wings to be officiated by the deputy president.

"Although there are certain quarters who want to do it separately, I invite AMK (youth wing) who still think that the tradition to be retained when it comes to the congress," she told the media after officiating the new PKR Wanita logo in Subang Jaya.

The opening of the women congress will take place in Malacca on Dec 5.

Previously, the Youth vice-president claimed that the move to rescind the invitation to Azmin was made after the latter failed to respond to the Youth wing's official invitation letter.

Haniza said there's no need for such a letter to confirm the deputy president's attendance to open the congress.

"No need because it's already a tradition to have the deputy president to officiate both congresses.

"If the excuse (to rescind) is that the deputy president did not respond to the letter, then why did he respond to Wanita's letter?"

Haniza also dismissed the idea of having the party advisor to officiate any wing's congress.

"Actually, we must follow the hierarchy. If one thinks that the deputy president did not respond, it shouldn't be an issue. We still have vice-presidents.

"It's not the party's norm to have the advisor to officiate the congress. You ask other parties if they practise such thing," she said.

She added that the youth wing's leadership had made an embarrassing decision by having a separate opening for the congress.

"We have followed the tradition to have both congresses officiated by the deputy president for 20 years.

"To me, having a separate event is embarrassing and the party veterans had spoken the Youth chief to have the deputy president to officiate the Youth congress."

Azmin, who is also the Economic Affairs minister, had received a letter from the PKR youth secretary on Oct 22 informing him that the invitation had been rescinded.

The youth leadership explained that the decision to invite Wan Azizah was because she's the highest-ranking government official within the party.

Azmin had alleged that the move to sideline him from officiating the congress is an attempt to silence him, claiming that he had accepted the invitation before it was rescinded. - Mkini