Saifuddin Nasution Ismail has tendered his resignation as Keadilan deputy Youth chief to pave the way for a PRM leader to be the new deputy in the upcoming Keadilan-PRM transitional line-up.

Saifuddin, who is Lunas state assembly representative, said he had recently handed over his letter to Youth chief Mohd Ezam Mohd Nor, who is currently serving a two-year jail term in Kajang under the Officials Secrets Act.

Saifuddin said he had proposed PRM Youth chief Faisal Sanusi as the deputy for the transitional leadership, the line-up will be confirmed by leaders of both parties in Kuala Lumpur this Sunday.

In his letter, Saifuddin told Ezam that he would relinquish the deputy's post so that Ezam would be free to accept Faisal as the leader of the newly merged parties, which will be called Parti Keadilan Rakyat.

"I know Ezam will never say no to me. As long as I am there, he will retain me as deputy. But the merger needs to have a balance line-up to accomodate leaders from both parties, so I propose Faisal," he told malaysiakini.

Major changes

"It is now up to Ezam and Faisal to work out the other members of the Youth line up," he added.

The transitional line-up of Parti Keadilan Rakyat, to be endorsed by Keadilan president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and her PRM counterpart Dr Syed Husin Ali, will see major changes in its top hierarchy.

Changes will also be made to leadership strutures in branches, divisions and bureaus at state level to incorporate both Keadilan and PRM leaders.

The transitional leaders' function is merely to facilitate joint activities and programs between the two parties as the existing Keadilan's supreme council and PRM's central committee will continue to function as normal.

But from the o­nset, the merger process have met with opposition from several quarters, including those said to be aligned to the Malaysian Muslim Youth Movement (or Abim).

After much deliberation, both parties managed to obtain approval for the merger from their delegates in their respective annual general meetings.

Beyond the name change, the new party will have a new constitution and a new logo - Keadilan's turqoise blue flag will incorporate PRM's red o­n both sides.

No involvement

Meanwhile, Saifuddin said he does not want to get involved in the new leadership line-up.

"I don't want to be seen as influencing the line-up. If I am seen to be letting go of this matter, then so be it. But I don't want to create more problems,' he said.

Saifuddin said he had put in a lot of effort to ensure the success of the merger, which has resulted in him being accused of being power crazy.

When contacted, Faisal said he has not received word from Ezam regarding Saifuddin's proposal for the deputy's post.

"I am open to the offer and I am ready to accept the position. I am aware it comes with a heavy responsibility", he told malaysiakini.

However, Faisal said it would not be a problem if Saifuddin remained as the deputy chief.

"Saifuddin's contribution is greatly appreciated. It is also easier for interaction among members of the two parties if Saifuddin remains as deputy," he said.

"Whatever it is, we will resolve this problem. We have to for the sake of the party's struggles," he added.