Rift widens in PKR as youth leader ticks off Rafizi
The PKR deputy youth chief also says negotiations with PAS have the blessings of Anwar.
(FMT) – A senior PKR Youth leader today denied there is factionalism in the party, after its vice-president Rafizi Ramli yesterday demanded for a special congress to decide on the nature of the party’s ties with PAS.
“His statement is wildly inaccurate and has taken much of the party by surprise,” said PKR deputy youth chief Dr Afif Bahardin, who said the party would survive any attempt to “cause division or disunity”.
This followed reports that PKR leaders were involved in negotiations with PAS on the allocation of seats at the next polls.
On Saturday, deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali said his talks with PAS leaders were based on party decision, although PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution denied there was such a decision.
But Afif today said the PKR political bureau as well as jailed leader Anwar Ibrahim had endorsed party leaders’ engagement with PAS despite an end to political cooperation between the two.
“Rafizi may not be aware of this since he has not attended political bureau meetings for a very long time now,” said Afif.
He said negotiations were “solely to prevent three-cornered contests” at the next polls and “increase the chances of winnability for PKR and opposition parties”.
The move did not sit well with some party leaders, including Selayang MP, William Leong who recently announced his resignation from the political bureau, the highest decision making body in PKR.
In a lengthy statement yesterday, Rafizi said since 2015, the party leadership had been split on the issue of its ties with PAS.
Rafizi had named Azmin, Tian Chua, Shamsul Iskandar Md Akin, Xavier Jeyakumar, Dr Shaharuddin Badaruddin, Zuraida Kamaruddin, R Sivarasa, Saifuddin Abdullah, Kamaruddin Jaafar and Fahmi Fadzil as among those who favour talks with PAS.
On the other hand, the Pandan MP said besides Leong, secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, Tan Yew Kew, Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh, Johari Abdul, Sim Tze Tzin and Fariz Musa were opposed to the idea of working with PAS.
Rafizi proposed that a special PKR congress would be able to put the matter to rest and stop the confusion among grassroots memebers.
But Afif dismissed the idea as “the height of absurdity” at a time the party was gearing for the general election.
“As such, there is absolutely no necessity for a special congress of the party to be assembled. Rafizi should have suggested to the secretary-general, Saifudin Nasution to call for the routine Central Leadership Council meeting that has not been called since the last one which was 19 May 2017,” said Afif.
