PKR members’ suspension ‘unethical’
Party draws rebuke from observers for arbitrary disciplinary action against eight over breach of electoral ethics in polls
(NST) – PKR yesterday walked straight into another storm when it suspended eight members pending probes into alleged breach of electoral ethics.
The immediate suspension of the eight, including Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim’s political secretary Mustapha Mohd Talib, and former Kapar member of parliament S. Manikavasagam, who contested against Khalid for the Kuala Selangor branch chief’s post, drew rebuke from political observers who said it reflected the party’s poor governance.
One even offered an interesting hypothesis: the move could be viewed as curbing dissenters within PKR’s ranks.
While action against Mustapha was for allegedly threatening a female assistant to Manikavasagam, the latter had claimed that Khalid had resorted to using money to buy votes during the Kuala Selangor branch’s polls.
Khalid has since denied the allegation, and confirmed yesterday that his lawyers had initiated a legal suit against Manikavasagam.
What was even more odd was PKR disciplinary board chairman Datuk Dr Tan Kee Kwong’s admission that the provision for the kind of suspension was not even stipulated under the party’s disciplinary procedures, but that it was necessitated by the “urgency and complexity” of the allegations.
“This is to facilitate investigations. We have done this before although it is not a written procedure. However, they can plead their case with the party’s central committee if they want the suspension removed.”
Dr Tan said the suspensions were decided at the party’s political bureau meeting chaired by PKR deputy president Azmin Ali and attended by party de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Khalid on Wednesday.
Manikavasagam, he said, was slapped with the suspension after publicly alleging Khalid of resorting to money politics in the Kuala Selangor branch election.
Dr Tan said the statements by Manikavasagam were aired and published in RTM’s TV1 news, TV3’s Buletin Utama and Utusan Malaysia.
“It is a violation against Article B.7 of the (PKR) Electoral Ethics, which bans members from voicing their disagreements on the party’s electoral process publicly or through the media.”
Mustapha is said to have threatened a special assistant to Manikavasagam, who is also PKR Bukit Melawati state assembly coordinator. She was only identified as Faridah.
“Mustapha had threatened Faridah through a phone call that he would terminate Manikavasagam’s service as the PKR Bukit Melawati state assembly coordinator.
“Mustapha will be issued a show-cause letter and his membership suspended with immediate effect,” said Tan in a statement issued to the media yesterday.
Ahmad Jufliz Faiza from the Setiawangsa branch, Bobinath Vello from the Kuala Selangor branch, Monniza @ Sarimah Abdul Ghani from the Kampar branch and Md Yusop Kamaruddin from the Pasir Salak branch were suspended for going public with their allegations of polls irregularities.
A member from the Hulu Selangor branch, Gunasekaran Kuppan, was also suspended after he allegedly barged into the branch’s voting hall with several other supporters and disrupted the vote counting process.
Dr Tan said a Tanjong Karang branch member, Noor Azman Samsuri, had forged his proposer’s signature to contest for the branch’s chief post.
National Professors’ Council political cluster head Prof Datuk Dr Mohamed Mustafa Ishak said PKR had prematurely judged the eight members with the suspension, even before completing investigations.
This was in contrast to the practice of other political parties that would only order a suspension after carrying out investigations into alleged breaches of ethics and finding them guilty.
Mustafa, however, said it was an abnormal practice to suspend a member before a probe was carried out into any allegations against him.
“Otherwise, the person has already lost his rights as a party member. It is like putting the cart before the horse. Why can’t the party let the eight members present their cases first before suspending them? It is not something in accordance with good practice (of party management).”
Universiti Teknologi Mara’s Prof Dr Hazman Shah Abdullah said the unwarranted suspensions could be arbitrary and publicly depicted the members as guilty.
“In corporations, it is normal for a staff member or even the chief executive officer to be suspended prior to a probe.
“That is to prevent interference in investigations but it is a different story for a political party, especially so when such an action is not stipulated as a procedure.”
Hazman, who is attached to the administrative science and policy studies faculty, said the suspended members were not influential enough to interfere with investigations in the first place.
“PKR is not exhibiting good governance in managing the party. You may have even suspended the wrong people at the same time because of the arbitrary nature of the suspensions.
“This does not look good in the eyes of the public. If you cannot even govern your party well, can you fare better at governing the country?”
National Professors’ Council social cluster head Professor Datuk Zainal Kling offered an interesting hypothesis which suggested that the suspension of Manikavasagam could be a political manoeuvre to oust dissenters against party leaders.
“It is not an uncommon tactic in political parties, but it is more prevalent in PKR. Perhaps in Manikavasagam’s case, he was suspended to preserve Khalid’s political image or career.”
The party had gone through a tumultuous polls rocked by brawls and suspension of elections at 27 branches nationwide due to irregularities.
