Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) vice-president Azmin Ali today called on those alleging that PKR adviser Anwar Ibrahim was meddling in the party polls to file an official complaint.

He said the party's election committee (known by its Malay acronym JKP) has been formed to deal with such complaints.

The seven-member committee, comprising independent individuals, will make recommendations to the party's supreme council for any action to be taken after an inquiry is held.

"So far, the supreme council has not received any complaints of alleged interference," Azmin told malaysiakini .

"They (the accusers) should write to JKP because we cannot continue to entertain what is being said through the media," he added.

The controversy started when PKR Youth secretary SD Johari Yassin announced on Monday that he will withdraw from contesting for the wing's deputy chief post despite receiving the highest number of nominations.

He blamed the alleged interference by Anwar for this. He also said more than 30 other nominees have also pulled out from the elections, which will be held on Friday.

Johari claimed that he was targeted because of his close ties with former Youth chief Ezam Mohd Nor who relinquished all his posts in February due to his apparent 'differences' with Azmin who is seen as the blue-eyed boy of Anwar.

Anwar denies

Quizzed on the allegations, Azmin said the party's election committee should be left to deal with the complaint independently and he did not want to respond to any individual in particular.

"JKP hasn't receive any complaint. I can't comment on any remark made by any individual," he added.

Azmin said the election committee has carried out its tasks impartially by holding numerous inquiries, even at the state level, upon receiving complaints on meetings held at the divisional level.

Due to this, he added, a large number of the divisions were ordered to hold fresh meetings after they were found to have flouted procedure.

"For instance, JKP recommended that the nominations from five or six divisions in Sabah be disqualified due to irregularities, The supreme council upheld the recommendation and ordered for fresh meetings to be held.

"These divisions had nominated Anwar (for presidency) but we never complained (over the disqualification of the nominations). Let's put the record straight," he stressed.

To illustrate his point, Azmin also cited the complaint lodged with the committee on the eligibility of Anwar to contest in the elections.

The complaint was filed by another presidential hopeful Abdul Rahman Othman.

"If Abdul Rahman can lodge a complaint with JKP, why can't the rest who claim that there is interference do the same thing?" asked Azmin.

The Star today quoted Abdul Rahman as saying that the PKR constitution states that anyone who is barred by law from holding posts in any society cannot be elected or nominated for party posts.

Anwar's five-year ban from active politics will only be lifted next April.

Meanwhile, Anwar wrote in his blog today that he has asked the election committee to ensure that election rules and regulations are adhered to irregardless at the divisional or central levels.

In response to the allegations of interference, he merely said: "I have never issued any statement in private or openly to stop or support any candidate at any level."