Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, who is vying for PKR's deputy presidency, has disagreed with the notion that it is time for the party to shed Anwar Ibrahim as a leader, given that he has been its de facto head since 1998.

"It is not the time to do so and neither would it be good for the party,” he said when fielding questions at a press conference in Seberang Jaya yesterday.

He was in Penang to speak to party members, after stops at Alor Setar, Gurun, Sungai Petani and Kulim in Kedah.

While Khalid acknowledged that he “must work with Anwar”, he also said this does not mean he has to be 100 percent in agreement with him.

"We must evaluate (the situation) with wisdom. It is not (about) discarding the leader but working with him to build a much stronger PKR," he said.

    

"Over a period of time, people like Anwar ( right ) and I want to leave a legacy of succession planning. We have to build it. It is not (about) waking up (one morning and throwing) everybody out. We can't do that.”

Khalid said this when asked to comment on the public perception that PKR is controlled by Anwar and his family.

Incumbent deputy chief Azmin Ali, in an interview last Saturday, said PKR still needs Anwar but that the party would have to move beyond him some day.

Khalid is facing a four-cornered fight against Azmin, secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail and Hulu Selangor branch member K Ramachandram in the party polls to be conducted from April 25 to May 11.

He was also asked if his chances of winning would be affected by the ‘Our Future Together’ alliance headed by Saifuddin, who has forged a pact with Nurul Izzah Anwar and Rafizi Ramli to give members a choice away from the Khalid-Azmin spat.

Khalid said: "It's all right. It is a test. I am not alone. Those with me will support me."

On his strengths, Khalid said he is "very honest with integrity", adding that he wants to contribute to the party’s success.

He declined to compare himself with Azmin or Saifuddin, saying he would let the members make their choice of deputy president.

‘Meaningful contributions’

Asked if his track-record and experience stood out compared with Azmin or Saifuddin, Khalid said: "Yes, but I need to introduce myself to party members.

"You cannot be arrogant and not want to work with people of different perceptions and abilities. You have to go down to the ground.”

He is confident of his chances of winning the post, basing this on the “rather good” response to his visits to Sabah, Sarawak, Kelantan, Kedah and Penang.

On his experience in governing Selangor as menteri besar, in comparison with Azmin ( right ), Khalid said with a smile: "I’d better not talk too much.”

Deflecting criticism that he has not done much for the party, he said such remarks come from "busybodies".

“I do not wish to boast about what I do for non-members, but I can count my contributions and feel that I have contributed meaningfully."

Khalid was also asked about the contradiction between his stance on wanting reform and transparency in the party, but allowing Selangor's water deal with Putrajaya to be restricted under the Official Secrets Act.

"The OSA is (enforced) by the federal government and we have to respect that. But what did we do? We opened up the document. It might be OSA, but we should know how to unlock it," he explained.

"This is where our party needs wisdom and capacity. You always get angry - you go for street rallies, you get arrested, you waste a lot of time. If you want to solve a problem, there is no one way of solving it. There are many ways to solve a problem.”