Derail bid to sideline Anwar in party, says PKR lawmaker
PKR lawmaker S Kesavan has called on party members to derail a purported attempt to sideline de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim and his wife Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.
However, the Sungai Siput MP did not name who is behind the alleged move.
Kesavan, who would be contesting for one of the four vice-president positions in next month’s party elections, urged members to ensure that Anwar wins the top post.
“Anwar is the backbone behind Pakatan Harapan’s victory in the 14th general election. His 20 year- struggle led to this outcome. This cannot be denied.
“The same goes for Wan Azizah. The sacrifices of these two leaders cannot be ignored.
“However, there are certain quarters in PKR who are attempting to sideline Anwar and Wan Azizah. We must break this attempt,” he told Malaysiakini.
Kesavan also admitted that he is aligned to PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli, who would be contesting for the post of deputy president.
As it stands, Rafizi is slated to lock horns with incumbent Azmin Ali, who is also economic affairs minister, should the latter defend his post.
Azmin has been tightlipped about his plans for the PKR polls amid speculation that he might take on Anwar for the number one spot.
Kesavan claimed that an Anwar-Rafizi combination would be better than Anwar-Azmin at the helm.
“I am not belittling Azmin’s contributions to the party. I have much respect for his struggle and contribution. But I believe the party needs a change.
“Azmin has been the deputy president for two terms under Wan Azizah (current president). Now that Wan Azizah is willing to step aside for Anwar, therefore, there must be a holistic change.
“The change should not only be confined to the posts of president and deputy president alone, but extend to the grassroots level as well, including the Youth, Wanita and Sri Kandi wings,” he added.
Kesavan also predicted that both Anwar and Rafizi have strong support among Indian leaders and members in PKR.
“Almost all of them support Anwar to be president. Whereas for Rafizi, I predict that the support for him to be number two is around 70 percent,” he said. – MKINI
Azmin denies Dr M using him to keep Anwar in check
Economic Affairs Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali has dismissed the speculation that Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad is using him to keep PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim in check.
The PKR deputy president said his loyalty to Anwar cannot be questioned.
“Mahathir is the prime minister, he is in the government. He is not a PKR member,” he told Malaysiakini this afternoon.
“I have been with Anwar for the past 30 years. Any rational person will not question my loyalty to him,” he stressed.
Azmin was addressing the speculation which arose following Mahathir’s decision to appoint him as economic affairs minister with wide-ranging powers.
PKR had previously admitted that Azmin’s name was not on the list of proposed ministers submitted to Mahathir.
Azmin has also been tight-lipped on his plans for next month’s PKR polls amid speculation that he might contest against Anwar for the president’s post.
The former Selangor menteri besar had once served as Anwar’s political aide, and remained with the latter after Mahathir had sacked him from the government in 1998.- MKINI
Syed Badli lists out alleged instances of nepotism in Selangor PKR
Syed Badli Shah Syed Osman, who last week resigned as the Selangor PKR Youth secretary in protest of what he claimed was nepotism by the state leadership, has listed out such alleged instances.
An instance, he said, was the ongoing appointments of local councillors which he claimed was chosen from among those close to the Selangor PKR leadership even though they had no party positions.
“For example, an individual who was sworn in as a local councillor last week had not party positions at the branch level and was only working as the personal assistant to a minister.
“In another instance, another individual who is the special officer to a minister was made a local councillor.
“These are examples of cronyism being practised by certain leaders,” he said in a statement today.
He also claimed that another local councillor was the brother-in-law of a Selangor PKR leader.
“A number of individuals who are close to the same leaders were also appointed as local councillors even though they have only registered as PKR members for less than a year,’ he said.
Likewise, Syed Badli claimed that PKR branches were not consulted on various political appointments.
“More serious are branch chiefs who are not called to give their input at all because they were categorised as being opponents (of the Selangor PKR leadership),” he said.
Syed Badli said while the state leadership had stressed the need for sufficient qualification and education level for such appointments, he claimed some with only SPM or Form Three qualification could be appointed.
He also denied that his open dissent was due to not being made a local councillor.
Syed Badli said while he is qualified, he was not out to gain positions, having been with PKR for 14 years, including during tough times.
PKR vice-president Dr Xavier Jayakumar had last Friday dismissed claims of nepotism in Selangor PKR.
However, PKR’s Sungai Petani MP Johari Abdul said the Selangor government’s reputation was at stake and urged for an investigation.
Syed Badli announced his resignation from Selangor PKR Youth last Friday. However, he remains the PKR Youth deputy secretary at the central level. – MKINI
MKINI
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