Resignations won’t affect Penang PKR, says leader

Penang PKR vice-chairman Jason Ong says the resignation of a small group will not affect the party’s stability.

GEORGE TOWN: The resignation of about 2,500 Penang PKR members following the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan federal government will not affect the party in the state.
Penang PKR vice-chairman Jason Ong Khan Lee said the resignations did not involve the party’s elected representatives.

“The resignation of a small group of people will not affect the stability of the party as it has a history of political struggle for more than two decades.

“This is the time for members to show their loyalty and undivided support for the party leadership to help them overcome the challenges.

“It is not the time for politicking. It is time to take stock of the political developments,” he said.

Ong, the assemblyman for Kebun Bungah, criticised the formation of the new government “through defections by leaders politically aligned to certain individuals”.

He said the mandate of the people had been hijacked and they were frustrated with the way Pakatan Harapan lost power.

Jelutong PKR division head Shaharudin Mohd Sharif had announced on Saturday the resignation of about 2,500 members following developments within the party.
He said others joining him in quitting included Bagan chairman Alan Oh, Bukit Gelugor chairman Mustaqim Md Daud, Batu Kawan chairman Lim Chee Leong, Tasek Gelugor PKR Wanita chief Nafizah Ismail and PKR Bayan Baru member M Navalingam.

Shaharudin claimed PKR president Anwar Ibrahim had ignored members and supporters who had been involved in the party’s struggles since 1998.

The rifts within the party, he said, had caused a serious split among members and gone beyond repair.

Those who left the party were believed to be aligned to former deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali and vice-president Zuraida Kamaruddin, who were sacked from PKR in the wake of the political crisis, and seen as supporting the new federal government headed by PPBM president Muhiyiddin Yassin, who was sworn in as the prime minister yesterday.

However, Ong disputed Shaharudin’s figure of the 2,500 members claims as, he said, only about 100 delegates had been present during the Jelutong division’s annual general meetings. - FMT