PKR polls committee chairperson Johari Abdul said a power blackout incident did occur during a vote count for its Kuala Selangor division but he knew of no foul play involved.

In a bid to quell rumours, Johari told a press conference today that all necessary precautions were taken to safeguard the ballot papers when the power was suddenly cut off early in the morning.

 

"We reject speculation that there was a role played by the election committee. (The claim) is not true.

"The incident did not only happen at PKR headquarters but the entire block at the Tropicana," he told reporters at the PKR headquarters.

Johari ( centre in photo ) said that when the power went out, his officers had ordered everyone including guards, supervisors and candidate representatives to leave. They also took some pictures to ensure that the ballot was undisturbed.

He said that they then called Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) to report the incident and electricity supply to the building resumed at 2am, allowing the counting process to resume.

Johari confirmed that before the incident, Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim was "in the  lead" as the key challenger for the party's deputy presidency post. The votes would laso determine PKR’s central committee line-up.

"Votes for the branch office positions have yet to be counted," Johari, who is also the MP for Sungai Petani, added.

'We are flexible'

On another matter, Johari said the re-election for the PKR Kelana Jaya and Puchong divisions that is supposed to take place tomorrow has been postponed to Aug 10.

                            

This is to prepare for the logistical needs of the election workers who are brought in from outside of Selangor.

In addition, the election workers won’t be able to make it home in time for Ramadan, which is expected to start on June 29, if the re-election were to take place tomorrow.

The two branches also have many members, and there are requests from the candidates themselves to postpone the date.

“The central election committee is flexible, in the interest of fairness to the candidates and our staff to make a choice. Although we are not happy about it, but we consider (their requests),” he said.

He added that the branches in Sepang, Subang, and Sungai Besar will have its elections tomorrow.

As for the branches in Sabah and Sarawak, he said, there are no postponements for its re-election dates.

The affected branches are Tenom, Pensiangan, Keningau, and Papar in Sabah, and Batang Sadong, Julau, Kapit, Limbang, and Sarikei in Sarawak.

Johari said the official results should be ready on Aug 12, before the PKR congress on Aug 22.

Meanwhile, Ampang PKR branch committee member Nasharudin Md Isa has reportedly filed a lawsuit against the central election committee, its chief Johari, and the Ampang PKR chief Zuraida Kamaruddin, urging that the election at his branch be nullified.

“My objections follow elements of graft and improper practices done by the third defendant (Zurarida), her agents, and her supporters in the Ampang (party) election that has given a major impact on the results,” Selangor’s official state mouthpiece Selangorku quoted him as saying, after filing the suit at the Shah Alam High Court.

Among others, he supposedly claimed that he had made objections to the election committee twice without action being taken, and the vote counting in Ampang was done without the supervision of candidates’ representatives.

In response, Selangor PKR’s youth wing issued a statement today urging that Nasharudin be sacked from the party.

Its information chief Najwan Halimi pointed to a clause under the party constitution which stipulates automatic termination of the membership of any party member who brings a party member to court.