Azmin claims Kitingan was an obstacle to younger leaders
By Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani, The Malaysian Insider
Former PKR Sabah Chief Azmin Ali said today he was not surprised that Jeffrey Kitingan had resigned as PKR vice-president and as a member of the supreme council
Azmin (picture) pointed out that the strength of the party was not from a few individuals but from the support of voters.
“I do not agree if the strength is dependent on any individual. When I was leading Sabah, I was inclined to recognise new faces among the new generation who are committed to the party and this was certain to disturb certain individuals who have been there for a long time.
“But my principle is not to defend any individuals but to strengthen the party so that the support base can be larger. So I needed the new generation to support Keadilan,” he told reporters in Parliament.
PKR chieftains in Sabah and Sarawak were in open revolt recently and were demanding that local leaders be appointed to head the party.
In Sabah, factions aligned to the appointed party vice-president Jeffrey Kitingan had launched a mutiny against Azmin by submitting a memorandum which, among other matters, claimed that Azmin had under-performed.
Ahmad Thamrin Jai has now been appointed the new Sabah chief, replacing Azmin.
Azmin was reappointed as party chief for Federal Territory.
