Retaining Anwar Ibrahim as the opposition leader will bring more problems not only to the PKR but also to the opposition coalition as a whole, said Barisan Nasional (BN) Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin.

He said the continued trust placed on Anwar by PAS and DAP was unusual because the number of DAP MPs exceeded the PKR following the move by three PKR members to leave the party recently.

"Usually, the party with the most number of MPs is given the honour to be the opposition leader but now they still give the honour to Anwar.

"Probably they, especially PAS, have no confidence in Lim Kit Siang (former opposition leader and veteran DAP leader), so they have to continue to give their support to Anwar," he said.

He said this to reporters after receiving a courtesy call by the PPP Youth chief, Jamaludin Gulamhan, in Kuala Lumpur today.

   

On the allegation that the three PKR members who left the party were 'bought' by BN, Khairy said it was just an excuse by the opposition pact to cover their own weaknesses.

"They left the party to become Independent MPs, they did not join Umno or any other BN component parties and it happened overnight... so I look at the decision (to quit PKR) as a feeling of disappointment with the PKR leadership," he said.

Three PKR MPs who declared themselves as Independents were Zahrain Hashim (Bayan Baru), Tan Tee Beng (Nibong Tebal), on Sunday and Monday respectively, and the latest was Mohsin Fadzli Samsuri (Bagan Serai), yesterday.

Meanwhile, Khairy said the meeting with the top leadership of the PPP Youth movement, among others, discussed measures that could further strengthen the BN Youth movement.

- Bernama