Fahmi: Party polls may lead to cold war but not break up

 Lembah Pantai MP Fahmi Fadzil has assured that the upcoming PKR election will not split the party.

Fahmi (above) claimed that this would be because the leadership contest would be a democratic process enforced by party discipline.

The PKR information chief reportedly told Getaran that the contest might lead to a cold war between competing factions but emphasised that the party would enforce discipline to avoid any hiccups.

"PKR president Anwar Ibrahim has reminded all who are contesting and involved in the election process to maintain ethical conduct and party discipline.

"During our last central leadership meeting on Thursday, it was stressed that the disciplinary board will play an active role in ensuring discipline and ethical conduct among party members, especially during the election," Fahmi said.

According to Fahmi, the party expects to see fierce competition for the deputy president position - for which former Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli and PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution are set to contest - and the four vice-president posts.

Of the seven vice-president posts, four remain inactive as PKR leader Nurul Izzah Anwar and Rafizi had taken a step back from politics while Dr Xavier Jeyakumar and Zuraida Kamaruddin left the party.

Xavier became an independent MP while Zuraida defected to Bersatu.

Saifuddin had stressed that the PKR polls could not be delayed further as Anwar needed new lieutenants, pointing out that four out of the seven vice-presidents were inactive.

In the previous party polls in 2018, a deep schism occurred within the PKR, with supporters of then deputy president Azmin Ali eventually leaving the party as part of the infamous Sheraton Move that scuppered the party's chances of assuming power.

Deep divisions within PKR were revealed as far back as the 2010 party polls when former minister Zaid Ibrahim was still in the party. - Mkini