Batu MP confirms rebuffing Afif's attempt to get him to defect

Batu MP P Prabakaran today confirmed that he had rebuffed an attempt by suspended PKR leader Dr Afif Bahardin for him to abandon the party.

Speaking to Malaysiakini, Prabakaran said he turned down the offer to join Gerakan.

Prabakaran also issued a statement separately stressing that he will remain loyal to PKR.

"It is true that there was a meeting between Afif and me as claimed by (Perak PKR chief) Farhash Wafa Salvador Rizal Mubarak.

"I do not wish to comment on political issues. Suffice to say, my position and principles are the same as PKR's principles.

"I will remain with PKR for the continuity of my struggle with the people. I am not a traitor," he said in the statement.

Prakabaran was responding to media queries after Farhash claimed Afif was feigning ignorance about his suspension from PKR.

Farhash then claimed that Afif had tried to persuade Prabakaran to join Gerakan.

When contacted, Afif (photo) said he won't entertain the accusation.

"My focus is on my constituents during this difficult period of the movement control order (MCO)," Afif, who is also the Seberang Jaya assemblyperson, told Malaysiakini.

Prabakaran said prior to the meeting with Afif, there had also been efforts to get him to defect.

He said some of the meetings were arranged by a leader within the Batu PKR division.

"All of them were political manoeuvrings. All of them was for me to defect," he said.

Prabakaran said he does not wish to engage in politicking and will continue to serve the people until the 15th general election.

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.

However, the plan has yet to materialise and they have instead joined Bersatu for now. - Mkini