Anwar: PKR elections committee doing a 'satisfactory' job

PKR POLLS | PKR's internal elections committee (JPP) has been doing a "generally satisfactory job", said the party's president-elect Anwar Ibrahim. 

He said this when asked to respond to growing calls for action to be taken against PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution and the JPP during a press conference after chairing the party's political bureau meeting last night.

Anwar said calls for punitive action had not been tabled during the meeting but he was aware of the criticisms against the secretary-general and the JPP.

"This is a democratic country. They can (criticise). But if they transgress the rules or go against the (party) discipline, I must caution them. No one will be spared, including key party leaders. They must respect certain rules.

"The (composition of the) JPP was not decided by me. I was in prison at the time. It was decided by the party leaders. That was the consensus," he said.

While admitting there were shortcomings in the party elections over the weekend, he said the JPP had been asked to explain their conduct to the political bureau, which in turn had been accepted. 

"In fact, the JPP was asked to explain and make the necessary adjustments. (The audit team) Baker Tilly (Malaysia) was there to help in the process. So I think we take it in that spirit. 

"So there is no necessity, for example, for party leaders who are quite dissatisfied to start attacking the election committee because they are performing a task voluntarily. 

"And they are doing a generally satisfactory job," he said.

Warning leaders

The PKR internal elections for the party's national and divisional leadership got off to a disastrous start over the weekend, with elections in four states being postponed and a fracas taking place in some voting centres.

There were numerous accounts of the electronic voting system failing and complaints about party members finding themselves missing from the voter database.

Thus far, the Wanita PKR chief candidate Haniza Talha and deputy Youth chief Afif Bahardin had laid the blame on Saifuddin for the fiasco.

On Monday, Saifuddin brushed off criticisms against him and instead said that the party's central leadership council, which created the JPP, must share responsibility over flaws in the election process.

Last night, Anwar made light of the complaints.

"Based on the reports (received by the political bureau), the election went on well. Some (computer) tablets were not functioning... There were weaknesses in Kedah," he said.

He said technicians would be dispatched to voting centres in the future and there will be more stringent efforts to ensure that unauthorised personnel do not stray into the restricted areas meant for voting.

"This is a warning to all scrutineers and a warning to the leadership, including the lawmakers. Some lawmakers think they have a license to enter (restricted areas). There was one such case.

"Any leader or lawmaker who encroaches into the restricted area, they will be suspended with immediate effect," he said. - Mkini