KUALA LUMPUR – Umno is distancing itself from any involvement in the crisis currently brewing within the Negri Sembilan PKR ranks that is threatening to destabilise the state government.
Negri Sembilan Umno liaison chief Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said his party is not interested in the goings-on within the state government components, after several PKR assemblymen were accused of conspiring with Umno to topple Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun.
Mohamad is also Umno deputy president, Rantau assemblyman and former menteri besar of the state.
“Sorry, we in Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) are not involved in any internal discord in the state PKR. That is their hal rumah tangga (household issue),” he told The Vibes via WhatsApp.
Mohamad was commenting on a statement made by Aminuddin’s special officer, Datuk Romli Ishak, alleging that the PKR reps who are openly opposed to the the menteri besar are working with Umno.
In an opinion piece, Romli had said, since PKR took over the state government in 2018, there have been multiple efforts by certain groups within the party to take down their boss, including by cooperating with members of the BN lynchpin.
“However, the bid was unsuccessful due to the strong support for the menteri besar from the state’s Pakatan Harapan (PH) leadership and a large number of divisions. The issues are the same: ranks, placements, posts, projects and other related matters,” he had said.
This follows an earlier statement issued by several members of the Negri Sembilan PKR leadership claiming they no longer trust Aminuddin to lead the party in the state.
Among the reasons cited by the reps include his failure to plan and strengthen the chapter ahead of the 15th general election, not paying attention to the party’s Women and Youth wings, and showing no effort to turn PKR into a dominant unit in Negri Sembilan.
They warned that if the situation is not resolved, Negri Sembilan PKR risks losing hold of the state come the next election.
The statement was signed by, among others, Labu assemblyman Datuk Ismail Ahmad, Sri Tg assemblyman Datuk M. Ravi, Ampangan assemblyman Datuk Mohamad Rafie Ab Malik, Chuah assemblyman Datuk Yek Diew Ching, Negri Sembilan PKR Women chief Amni Idris, state information chief Yusuf Tapar, and several party Youth leaders.
The four assemblymen later issued a separate statement later clarifying that the issue of the PKR grassroots losing faith in Aminuddin is an internal party affair, amid concerns that their earlier statement could undermine the stability of the PH-led state government.
On Monday, PKR communications director Fahmi Fadzil had told The Vibes that Aminuddin has been summoned by the party leadership to a meeting this week to explain the situation.
Presently, PH only has a slim majority over BN in the state assembly with 20 lawmakers, six of whom are from PKR. Meanwhile, DAP has 11 and Amanah has three.
BN has 16 representatives (Umno with 15; MIC with 1). – The Vibes, September 8, 2021
