No ex-Umno member hired for Anwar's media team, says Afif

PKR national youth deputy chief Dr Afif Bahardin (above) has denied that his party had hired an Umno member for party de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim's media team although the individual was known to be a critic of the party on social media.

Afif said he is aware of the individual a check with the party leadership found the claim that the man was hired for Anwar's team to be "untrue."

"Yes, I saw the particular person at Anwar's event when he returned to Cherok Tokun, Bukit Mertajam last weekend. The guy in question was snapping photos of our leader like other members of the public who were present there as well," Afif told Malaysiakini.

Anwar, who is the spouse of Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, later gave a ceramah to a packed hall in SP Arena, Seberang Jaya.

"But I checked with our party headquarters and leaders and was told that no such person was hired for the media team," he added.

The Seberang Jaya assemblyperson was responding to a press conference in George Town held by several Penang PKR youth leaders today who warned of recurrence of Anwar's sodomy convictions if Umno members were allowed to join the party.

'Not aware'

Anwar, the former deputy prime minister and later parliamentary opposition leader, was jailed for 10.5 years on two convictions related to sodomy before being pardoned by the Yang diPertuan Agong and released on May 15.

The pardon and release were initiated by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad after his coalition - Pakatan Harapan - won the GE14 polls on May 9.

At the press conference, Khairul Anwar Kamaruddin, who claimed to be the current PKR Penang youth chief, urged the party to vet new candidates before employing them.

As a matter of record, before the 14th national polls, PKR's then Penang youth chief had quit the party with 70 over a disagreement on the party's choice of candidates for the polls.

Afif said he was not aware that a new PKR Penang youth chief had been appointed.

"We have yet to have a meeting over the matter," said the two-term Penang executive councillor.

"The point they are making is alright but we in the PKR national youth bureau have not issued any statement on this," he added. -Mkini