Tempers flare at PKR Youth congress after group denied entry

 

Tempers flared when a group of PKR members were barred from representing their branches at the party’s Youth national congress in Shah Alam.

Malaysiakini learned that an argument erupted between the disgruntled members and officials shortly after the congress started this morning.

One of those involved, Danish Hairudin, told Malaysiakini that the congress secretariat only allowed 75 PKR Youth divisions to send delegates to the congress out of the 182 divisions nationwide.

This was allegedly done on the basis that the unrepresented divisions had failed to either hold their respective annual meetings or submit their reports to the secretariat.

“But, this was the mistake of the previous leadership of the respective divisions. They were the ones who did not hold the AGM.

“The new line-ups did not do anything wrong because they had just been elected in the recent party election,” Danish argued.

Danish, a member of the Kota Raja PKR Youth wing, claimed that such restriction was also against the PKR constitution, which gives elected division leaders the right to attend the party’s national congress.

“There is no provision that says division leaders can be barred because the previous leadership didn’t hold an AGM,” he said.

Two requirements to be delegate

In response to the claims, PKR Youth secretary Syukri Razab said there should not have been an issue in the first place.

He said those barred from entering the congress hall were because they were not party delegates.

Syukri said a Youth wing member must fulfil two requirements to be a delegate.

“First, the branch must hold its annual general meeting with a complete quorum and submit its report. There must be enough quorum, and the report submitted must have all the (required) signatures.

“Secondly, the branch must have followed the proper election process where there must be at least eight candidates (to fill positions in the division) - division chief, deputy, vice-chief, and five committee members.

“And what happened earlier today, the divisions that were barred only fulfilled the second condition,” he said.

Elaborating, Syukri said an AGM is needed because the meeting would have a part where the division decides to give a mandate to future leaders to represent it at the national congress.

Without such a mandate, he added, the new leadership has no mandate to represent the division in PKR Youth National Congress. - Mkini