'Did the traitors follow the process?' - Anwar

PKR president Anwar Ibrahim has taken a jab at those who betrayed Pakatan Harapan in February and then cried foul when they were sacked or suspended from the party.

“There was a deputy (minister) who said ‘oh I am sad I was fired today’. You left in February. You joined the group of traitors and toppled the government.

“Then when you were fired, you acted all sad. This is all a melodramatic act, no integrity.

“(Just say) ‘I have no confidence and I want to leave to join the group of traitors’. Just say it.

“Instead, you acted all sad. You already left,” Anwar said in a Facebook livestream today.

Though he did not mention names, it is believed he was referring to Deputy Federal Territories Minister Edmund Santhara, who had previously expressed “gratitude” to Anwar for sacking him from PKR on his birthday.

“I would like to thank PKR president Anwar Ibrahim, a good gentleman. He has given me a termination letter, sacking me (from PKR) on my birthday on April 3.

“That was a birthday gift. I would like to thank him for that,” Santhara had said.

Santhara was one of the 10 MPs who had joined former PKR deputy president Azmin Ali to quit from PKR on February 24.

The group, which joined forces with Bersatu, PAS, BN and GPS had ousted the Pakatan Harapan government in late February.

In his livestream today, Anwar also took a jab at an unnamed assemblyperson from PKR, whom he said had always opposed the party on every issue and supported the new Perikatan Nasional (PN) government.

“But when he got his suspension letter, he said ‘oh the letter did not follow the proper process, the legal process’.

“Those who betrayed (the Pakatan Harapan government), did they follow the process?” Anwar said.

However, he said, for those who believe they should not have been suspended over minor infractions, they should write immediately to the PKR disciplinary board to explain themselves.

He said he has spoken to the disciplinary board and urged them to thoroughly examine every appeal letter.

“If there are any weak facts or lack of proof, then they should be let go,” he said.

At the same time, he said, it should not matter whether a member had once criticised him as the party president or whether they had once supported Azmin or other leaders who have since left the party.

That is their right, he said, as long as they no longer support those who betrayed the party.

“This is a democratic party and this is a democratic country,” Anwar said.

Previously, it was reported that 285 PKR members had been suspended by the party’s central leadership council following recommendations from the disciplinary board.

The party had also booted out 348 other members based on decisions reached during council meetings on March 21 and April 26. - Mkini