No need for reconciliation meeting, Saifuddin tells Azmin's faction

PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail has turned down his colleague Zuraida Kamaruddin's request for both factions in the party to have a reconciliation meeting.

"No, no so such thing as reconciliation," he told a press conference at the I-Keep Carnival in Kuala Lumpur today.

The two factions are supposedly one led by PKR president Anwar Ibrahim and another by his deputy, Mohamed Azmin Ali.

Saifuddin also reiterated his call for the faction aligned to Azmin to attend the weekly political bureau meetings and monthly central leadership council (MPP) meetings.

"Just attend the political bureau meeting and the MPP meeting, then everything can be settled," he said, referring to Azmin and his supporters reportedly being absent from recent meetings.

Saifuddin was responding to Zuraida's claim that Anwar had yet to entertain multiple requests for him to meet certain MPP members for the purpose of reconciliation.

On July 18, Zuraida openly admitted that there was split in PKR, and said it was up to the party president to mend the rift – which widened with the recent sex video scandal dogging Azmin.

'Letters addressed to president'

The PKR vice-president also claimed on Aug 28 that the party had not responded to three of her letters on the matter. 

Saifuddin said today that the party only received one of these letters.

In an immediate response, Zuraida (photo) said she the three letters were sent to the PKR president, and not to the secretary-general.

"The letters were addressed to the party president, not to the unelected secretary-general who holds the position on a mere appointment," she said in a text message.

Muslim-made products campaign

In another development, Saifuddin said that the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry would not take action against those behind a campaign to boycott products made by non-bumiputera.

The minister stressed, however, that he disagreed with the campaign, as it would invite more boycott campaigns in response.

He said Malaysia can only rise up and become the best if the people of all races support each other, and amend the weaknesses in the country.

Saifuddin also noted that his ministry has not received any complaints from the business community about the campaign.

"From the engagements I have with the multiracial business NGOs that (represent) the retail, wholesale and distribution sectors, they did not bring up the matter," he said.

"There is no feedback (from them) that the campaign has been successful or effective. The business community is like business as usual."

Bumiputera consumers were asked on social media to boycott, on one day a week, several supermarket chains which did not promote bumiputera products and which did not reduce the price of products made by non-bumiputera.

A number of NGOs also called for a boycott of halal products made by non-Muslims. - Mkini