KOTA KINABALU – The 26 PKR division chiefs in Sabah will get to nominate a new leader for the state chapter if they so choose, said party secretary-general Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail after a faction called for incumbent state party chief Datuk Christina Liew to be ousted.
He said he is aware of the faction and that it is nothing new.
“We have it before in other states. Eventually, we manage to sit down and resolve them,” he said during a breaking fast event organised by the Kekuatan Keadilan (KK) group here tonight.
He said the party polls in May is a good opportunity for party members in Sabah to choose their leaders, and that the division leaders will get to nominate a new state chief.
“Based on the PKR constitution, it is up to party president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to appoint a new state chief.
“I see this as a great opportunity. As of now, we have a clear structure in Sabah and other state leaders can always come up with suggestions. But we leave the decision to the wisdom of the party president.”
Previously, 16 of the 26 division chiefs there have called for Liew to be removed as Sabah PKR chief.
The group is identified as Kekuatan Keadilan or Gang 16 and is led by the Keningau PKR chief Datuk Sangkar Rasam.
The group has also fielded candidates in hopes of capturing divisional chief positions that would be able to influence the party president to appoint a new state chief.
Meanwhile, Saifuddin reminded members that this is not the time to break party bonds as a general election looms.
“The party polls are a healthy democratic race but there’s a red line, there should be no members breaking their bonds. PKR has no time for this. We need to get ready for the general election after the party polls.
Saifuddin himself is running for party deputy president against Rafizi Ramli.
PKR is expected to hold its polls between May 13 and 18.
Additionally, Saifuddin said PKR has not started talks with other parties to build a stronger opposition bloc to face GE15.
He added that PKR still views Warisan as friendly as it still works with Pakatan Harapan on a case-by-case basis such as the anti-party hopping law.
As for cooperation with other parties like Bersatu or Perikatan Nasional, Saifuddin recalled that PKR has a six-point resolution during a retreat a year ago.
According to him, resolution number six was to be open to cooperate with any parties to recapture the federal government.
Saifuddin, who is also the chairman in overseeing the resolution, said it is an open-ended resolution.
“There is no guarantee we can recapture the government. So, we feel there is a need for us to open our doors to all. We did not mention any political party. We said we are open to all provided they agree to our principles and policies.” – The Vibes, April 23, 2022
