Selangor PKR Youth said today the departure of two of its Shah Alam youth branch leaders and five others from the party has no effect on the resolve of party workers to ensure the party triumphs at the Hulu Selangor by-election.

The wing’s state information chief Mohd Ezli Mashut said that former chief and deputy chief of PKR Shah Alam Youth branch, Nor'isham Manap and his deputy Muhd Ali Mukhtar, respectively, had not been active in party activities for the past two years.

“Their roles had long been filled by other individuals,” said Ezli in a statement issued this evening.

Earlier today, Nor’isham and Ali was reported to have quit PKR over the choice of its party leadership for former Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Zaid Ibrahim, to be the candidate for the Hulu Selangor by-election.

Nor’isham said it was a betrayal of the spirit and aspirations of the reformation struggle and justice that they strived for since 1999.

Another committee member of the Shah Alam branch, Mohd Nazri Mukhtar and four members of the Padang Jawa AMK branch also followed suit.

Ezli, however, said the actions by the seven was most certainly the work of Umno/BN to dissuade the people from supporting the party and the people of Hulu Selangor from voting Zaid as their representative in Parliament.

“Selangor PKR Youth insists that the candidate put forward by PKR is the individual who can bring the voice of the people to Parliament. The lofty integrity and principles brought by Zaid Ibrahim reflects the new vision of Pakatan Rakyat,” said Ezli.

The people of Hulul Selangor would be fortunate to have Zaid as their representative in Parliament, Ezli added, as he understands the pulse of the struggle of the various ethnic and religious communities.

Zaid is the hope of the people of Hulu Selangor, Ezli added.