Over 700 youth members of PKR's Ipoh Barat branch were said to have quit the party en masse today, an act that has crippled 12 of the branch’s sub-branches, Bernama reported today.

The branch's Youth chief, V Subaramiam, told a press conference in Ipoh, Perak, that the members took the action following their disappointment with the party's leadership at the branch, state and national levels due to its failure to hold to the party's principles.

“Our decision was taken after having reflected on our situation in the party, whose leaders have a tendency of spreading fitnah (slander) to further the party’s interests,” Subarmamiam was quoted by Bernama as saying.

Also present at the press conference was BN’s Manjoi state assemblyman Mohd Nadzri Ismail.