Wan Azizah still officiating our congress, PKR Youth chief insists

PKR Youth chief Akmal Nasir.

KUALA LUMPUR: PKR Youth chief Akmal Nasir today dismissed as invalid his deputy’s decision to retain the invitation to PKR deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali to open the youth wing’s national congress.

Akmal said last night’s meeting, where Hilman Idham made this decision, was not conducted according to procedures and regulations set by the party.

He added that the meeting lacked the necessary quorum, as it was attended by fewer than 13 executive council (exco) members.

Akmal said the total number of exco members was 49, and consisted of both elected and appointed members.

“(The meeting) last night may be the perspective of a few parties. It does not reflect the youth wing’s decision.

“I do not think it was a meeting. There was no one-day notice for the meeting, and it was not issued by the secretary,” he said when met by reporters at the Parliament lobby.

It was reported that Hilman had decided to maintain the invitation to Azmin to open the upcoming PKR National Youth and Women’s Congress in Melaka, at a meeting he chaired last night.

Hilman claimed the decision to continue the youth wing’s tradition of getting the deputy president to open the congress was backed by 132 of the 196 PKR youth division chiefs across the country.

In response, Akmal said the congress committee meeting had decided that former PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail would officiate the congress in her capacity as deputy prime minister.

“Yes. (Wan Azizah will officiate the congress), there are no changes,” he said, adding that this was reaffirmed at the PKR political bureau meeting last night. - FMT