Suspended PKR leader Dr Afif Bahardin today denied that he had made an offer to Batu MP P Prabakaran for the latter to abandon the party to join Gerakan.
Speaking to Malaysiakini, Afif (above) admitted to having met with Prabakaran several weeks ago, but no such offer was made as first alleged by Perak PKR chief Farhash Wafa Salvador Rizal Mubarak.
"I am denying the fact that I can offer him (Prabakaran) anything.
"I do not have the capacity to offer him anything," he said.
In response to Farhash, Prabakaran yesterday told Malaysiakini he had rebuffed an attempt by Afif for him to abandon PKR for Gerakan, allegedly made during their recent meeting.
"I will remain with PKR for the continuity of my struggle with the people. I am not a traitor," Prabakaran said in a separate statement, in response to media queries after Farhash yesterday claimed Afif was feigning ignorance about his suspension from PKR.
Commenting further, Afif said it was Prabakaran (photo) who had indicated intentions to meet and they finally met during one of his recent trips to Kuala Lumpur from Penang, in the early days of the movement control order (MCO).
"I shared (with) him my sentiments about how the party should move.
"More of a friendly discussion between me and him as young leaders in PKR. But I am just a little bit more experienced than him," the Seberang Jaya assemblyperson said, adding that they had touched on disciplinary actions taken by the party against some of its leaders.
During the meeting, he said Prabakaran also mentioned difficulties faced as an opposition MP, particularly to raise funds for programmes in the constituency.
Afif said he then suggested for Prabakaran - as an MP in the Federal Territories - to talk to Deputy Federal Territories Minister Edmund Santhara, who was formerly from PKR.
"It is his own decision to make. I got nothing with me to offer," he stressed.
Afif is a close ally of former PKR deputy president Azmin Ali, who helped engineer the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan government.
Azmin led a group of MPs to defect from PKR while Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin took his party out of Harapan.
Together with the opposition, they formed the new Perikatan Nasional government.
There were initial speculations that the PKR defectors would take over Gerakan and rename it as their own vehicle, although the plan has yet to materialise. - Mkini
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