PKR not under family control, says Azizah
PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who retained the party's top position after her husband Anwar Ibrahim pulled out of the contest, said today there is no form of family control over the party.
PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who retained the party's top position after her husband Anwar Ibrahim pulled out of the contest, said today there is no form of family control over the party.
There is no manipulative attempt to keep de facto opposition leader Anwar's family in control of PKR, Wan Azizah told reporters at the PKR headquarters in Tropicana, Petaling Jaya.
She explained that Anwar decided to pull out of the race because of fear that the Registrar of Societies (ROS) may ban him from contesting, or rule the election invalid, over the Court of Appeal on March 7 ordered him jailed for five years on his Sodomy II charge.
He had put in his candidacy, Wan Azizah said, not to block others but because the top leadership had agreed that he should takeover the party he founded.
Anwar really wanted to try, Wan Azizah said, but unfortunately they decided this cannot proceed after the "cruel and unprecedented" Sodomy II sentencing.
"Yes, we are democratic... the (PKR presidency) contest was open to anyone at that time, but no one came forward.
"After 15 years as president, why question my ability now?" Azizah said.
In the press conference, Wan Azizah also urged party members to observe the rules of the party elections, be free from money politics or slander, and not to borrow the good name of any leaders for personal gains in the coming party elections.
Asked to give the party's stand on Hudud Law, Wan Azizah said that she deferred to Pakatan Rakyat's presidential council to deliberate the matter first.
"We base ourselves on the constitution that Islam is the official religion, the practice of Islam is also followed, with freedom of religion (allowed)," Wan Azizah said, when asked if PKR considered Malaysia 'secular' or 'Islamic.'
She said she disagreed that Malaysia is an 'Islamic country' as that has to be fully realised as yet.
"You have to know what Hudud is first, that is a priority ...you cannot have it if there is no education," she said.
Hudud have been "played up so often" as a means to break up Pakatan, she added. She said PKR hoped that Pakatan could instead focus on more urgent national needs such as creating the two-party political system.
Recruitment drive
Meanwhile, PKR secretary general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail today suggested that the party needs a recruitment drive to gain more Chinese members.
Half of its 500,000 members were Malay, a quarter were Indian, 10 percent Sabah and Sarawak Bumiputeras but it only has 15 percent Chinese.
This does not augur well for the future of PKR, which aims to be the only truly multi-ethnic party in Malaysia, he said.
He noted that the party had strong Chinese voters support as recently seen in Kajang by-election and it would be a missed opportunity if this did not translate into more leadership to help PKR's fight for justice.
"Therefore, today I would like to offer the vision of shared burden, shared responsibilities, leadership by all, justice for all," Saifuddin ( right ), who is aiming for PKR deputy president post, said.
He then revealed a campaign plan to draw at least 50,000 new Chinese members into PKR over the next five years.
These include more Chinese programs, a Chinese version of Suara Keadilan publication, and forums on race relations and excursions into Chinese-majority private colleges and universities.
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