KOTA KINABALU – Rafizi Ramli does not speak for the party, DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke said today in response to the PKR deputy president’s statement denouncing any possible “big tent” policy for the opposition.
Loke said that as long as PKR is still a component of Pakatan Harapan (PH), the question of PKR going solo in the coming general election does not arise.
“To us, a statement by any individual leader does not represent the party,” he said, in reference to Rafizi’s stand against the “big tent”.
“Whether you are a part of the coalition or not, that decision must be made by the leader of the party, not by one individual,” he said at a press conference here today.
He stressed that PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has never spoken about the party going at it alone.
Loke said that there are many levels of leadership in a party, and if DAP were to entertain everyone’s statement it would not have time to work.
“I have never heard Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (president of PKR) saying that PKR is preparing to go solo; the issue does not arise,” he added.
In another development, Loke said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob should explain to Umno members the details of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the government and PH.
He stressed that the MoU is still in effect, and it specifies that the general election will not be held before July 31.
“I don’t know if their (Umno members) Bahasa Malaysia is not good or what; there are still some of them who don’t understand the content of the MoU.
“I suggest that the prime minister who currently champions BM educate the Umno members on the MoU; explain it to them paragraph by paragraph, word by word,” he said.
Loke was referring to BN’s top personalities such as Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and BN advisor Datuk Seri Najib Razak pushing for the 15th general election to be called immediately.
They expressed this during the BN convention last Wednesday.
He said that if the prime minister affirms to focus on current problems in the country such as inflation and the rising cost of living, he should negotiate and discuss with PH to find a consensus on whether to call for an election this year.
“But that is in the court of the prime minister,” he said. “As for DAP, we are physically and mentally prepared to face the election as soon as August.” – The Vibes, June 4, 2022
