Jailed PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim did not tell his supporters to reject the Citizens’ Declaration, PKR Youth deputy chief Dr Afif Bahardin said today.

Anwar merely said to be cautious about Dr Mahathir Mohamad as he was very familiar with the former prime minister’s character, Afif added.

Still, Afif viewed Anwar’s remarks as “fair and a good advice” as the former deputy prime minister had previously served under Mahathir for 16 years, from 1982, until he was sacked from his post in 1998.

“He knows Mahathir better than all of us; his comments are fair, and he has given us very good advice,” Afif told reporters outside the Penang Legislative Assembly hall today.

“However, Anwar merely told us to be cautious of Mahathir. He did not tell us to reject the Citizens’ Declaration,” added Afif, who is the assemblyperson for Seberang Jaya.

The state executive councillor said the Citizens’ Declaration should not be given up at this juncture as it has garnered much support from the supporters of various parties.

He added that the declaration - which has successfully obtained more than one million signatures for the petition to oust Prime Minister Najib Razak - has gained traction and has also attracted the “unconverted” crowd, who are mostly Umno supporters.

Mahathir, and his son, former Kedah menteri besar Mukhriz Mahathir, have been attending nationwide roadshows to gather signatures for the declaration, which will be handed over to the Council of Rulers.

Pakatan Harapan and top NGO leaders have joined hands with Mahathir to promote the Citizens’ Declaration, a move that has been criticised by several quarters who see the former PM as the root of Malaysia’s problems after his 22-year-long rule that ended in October 2003.

Letter not discussed at party meeting

However, according to Afif, Anwar's letter was discussed at the party's political bureau but not at the supreme council meet.

He said he only knew about the existence of the letter after reading the Malaysiakini report this morning.

In the letter, Anwar says the Citizens’ Declaration was flawed and inconsistent with reform perspectives.

He had also warned PKR leaders about the pitfalls and dangers of working with Mahathir and former finance minister Daim Zainuddin.

Anwar also cautioned that PKR leaders and party apparatuses might be used to serve their agenda.

PKR president and Anwar’s wife Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said the letter was an internal party matter, while the party’s secretary Rafizi Ramli described it as “authentic”.

“We need to be careful when dealing with anyone and everyone,” Afif said.

“Pakatan Harapan has the quality of agreeing to disagree but it is committed to the reform agenda,” he added.

Afif said when the Citizens’ Declaration first came about on March 4, Anwar had told party leaders to support the idea, adding that the opposition (Pakatan Harapan) must lead the cause.

Afif said the Citizens’ Declaration included elements of the reform agenda, which have also been declared in the 1999 Permatang Pauh Declaration, following Anwar’s sacking from his DPM post.

Since February last year, Anwar has been serving a five-year jail sentence at the Sungai Buloh Prison for a second sodomy conviction.

He was first jailed in 2001 for abuse of power related to his first sodomy conviction, and was released in 2006.

He went on to contest the 2008 and 2013 national elections, capturing the Permatang Pauh seat and serving as parliamentary opposition leader until his conviction in February 2015.