GE15: PKR a happy family after Azmin left, claims Wong Chen

PETALING JAYA – PKR is in a much “happier” position now that former deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali is no longer with the party, Wong Chen said in dismissing suggestions of a falling out among its leaders. 

Speaking at a forum last night, the PKR central leadership council member said that while differences of opinion exist today, the party remains unequivocally united. 

“PKR is not in shambles. Really, seriously. After Azmin left, it’s a happy family now,” he said at the GE15 Forum: A Conversation with Candidates programme, here, this evening. 

“My big boss Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and smaller boss Rafizi Ramli may not see eye to eye on many things, but that’s absolutely healthy in a political party. 

“When my boss is campaigning in the north, Rafizi is in the south. We are covering a lot of grounds, (these are) two superstars. The tide is in our favour. So, we are not in shambles.” 

Wong Chen, who is defending his Subang seat in the 15th general election, was responding to a question from the public on how he intends to deliver his promises for his constituencies when his party PKR and the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition are in shambles and not able to work together. 

Azmin, a despised figure within PKR, was the individual responsible for leading a group of the party’s MPs to join Bersatu in defecting from PH in February 2020, leading to the collapse of the then federal government. 

At the time, Azmin was said to have led a different faction within the party against Anwar, with the pair already locking horns for months before the infamous Sheraton Move took place. 

As for PH, Wong Chen said while component parties may have differing views and positions on certain matters, they are able to put this aside for the common good. 

The coalition’s manifesto, which was released much earlier than their rival parties, is a testament to this, the Subang incumbent MP said. 

Wong Chen added that those who wish to see a true example of a group being in shambles should look no further than the Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob-led cabinet. 

“You should see the National Recovery Council meetings. I mean, the cabinet is fighting each other openly, saying they hate each other, and yet they don’t want to resign as ministers. 

“In politics, if you are talking about whichever is more shambolic, there’s no contest here,” he said. 

Meanwhile, addressing questions on election candidates declaring their assets, Wong Chen said this is not done to show the public how much money a certain individual has or whether those incomes are clear. 

Instead, he said the main purpose is for it to serve as a point of reference in the future to see whether a person, after joining office, has made an inordinate sum of money compared to his MP’s salary. 

This, he said, would be a good way to flag possible corruption. 

“You declare assets to tell them that at point A, the day you become MP, you have this much money. So that later at point B, you can see how much your money has grown. 

“We all know MPs are only paid RM25,000 a month. If you don’t spend a single sen, you’ll get RM300,000 a year. If your assets grow by RM4 or RM5 million and you can’t explain, that’s corruption. And that’s how you stop it,” he said. – The Vibes, November 14, 2022