Information Communication and Culture Minister Rais Yatim is convinced that Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) will fold in the wake of resignations by many of its members.

He said this trend had been expected and it was now becoming a popular topic.

He said this after attending a special briefing by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) on the Universal Service Provider in Putrajaya.

NONE He was asked to comment on the series of defections by several of the party leaders lately.

Rais ( right ) said the reason was obvious because the party's policies were not based on the struggles for the people or to bring improvement to the country.

"It is based on the ambition of someone who wants to be the prime minister.

"It is also based on family politics because the party leader comes from a particular family. I don't have to mention any name.

"The members are probably feeling restless. We hope the people in Penang will come to a conclusion and make their final consideration in the near future," he said.

When asked whether the PKR was in the midst of collapsing, he said it was clear that the party had lost the direction of its struggles as well as its capability to contribute to the growth of democracy that had built our society.

Meanwhile in Ipoh, Perak Menteri Besar Zambry Abdul Kadir said he was not surprised by Mohsin Fadzli's recent resignation from PKR as it had been expected.

dr zambry abd kadir perak new cm bn 050209 Everyone already knew that the party was facing problems but the party leaders were still trying to hide it, he told reporters after chairing the weekly State Exco meeting.

As usual, Zambry ( right ) said, the opposition parties would quickly point their fingers at Umno as being involved.

"They will quickly accuse us...they will say that Umno is behind their internal problems," he said.

Home Minister questions loyalty pledge

Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said the pledge of loyalty taken by 12 PKR MPs in Petaling Jaya, Selangor today raises questions about the party, especially when several (PKR) elected representatives left the party recently.

He said the loyalty pledge showed that the party actually had problems to the extent that it had to force its elected representatives to take the pledge.

hishamuddin hussein "Why must they go to such an extent? Maybe the people themselves can gauge the severity of the problems in the party where the people who are loyal are asked to take a pledge.

"Does it mean that those who don't take the pledge are not loyal to the PKR?" he told reporters after chairing his ministry's post-cabinet meeting in Putrajaya.

Hishammuddin ( left ) said however that the Barisan Nasional (BN) and Umno could not rely on the weaknesses of the opposition parties to win the trust of the people.

"The public out there is going to judge us not by the weakness of the opposition but the strength of BN and Umno. So it is incumbent on us to continue to deliver to the public," he said. - Bernama