Pakatan suffers new blow

Under-fire deputy chief minister quits but is not giving up his state assembly seat 

PKR's Mr Fairus has resigned to pursue further studies, according to opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim.

By Carolyn Hong, The Straits Times

THE opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR) coalition has run into yet another spot of trouble – this time in Penang, where its deputy chief minister has resigned.

Yesterday, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng announced the resignation of Mr Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin, who is from Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), after days of denying it.

'We have accepted his resignation after a discussion with (PKR de facto leader) Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and (state PKR liaison committee chairman) Datuk Zahrain Mohamed Hashim,' Mr Lim said yesterday.

He refused, however, to give the reasons, saying only that Mr Fairus, 34, would not resign as the state assemblyman for Penanti, a seat in Penang.

If Mr Fairus had resigned as state assemblyman, it would trigger another by-election and stretch the opposition parties' resources further. It is not clear, however, if he plans to do this at a later date.

Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who heads PKR, said Mr Fairus wanted to pursue further studies.

'He has received a few offers. He has not decided yet,' he said.

Three by-elections have already been scheduled for April 7, one of which was triggered by the resignation of a PKR assemblyman in Kedah after he was accused of committing bigamy.

Meanwhile, the controversy over Ms Elizabeth Wong, the PKR assemblyman in Selangor, has yet to be resolved.

Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim is expected to announce if she will resign her Bukit Lanjan state seat this week. Ms Wong had indicated that she wanted to resign after photos of her in the nude were circulated.