While other party leaders have rejected the suggestion of a merger between PKR and Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah), PKR deputy president said he was open to exploring it.

"For me, we cannot approach the suggestion with indifference or outright rejection.

"We can discuss this and weigh the options, but not because of the matter of grabbing for seats," he told reporters today.

"I am open, this is a question that as a dynamic party, a democratic party, we remain open minded.

"Let's not adopt the old way of thinking, because what we want is reformation," said the Selangor menteri besar at a state event at the Selangor state secretariat building, Shah Alam.

PKR Youth deputy chief Afif Bahardin proposed the merger last week as a means to strenghten the opposition in preparation for the 14th general election.

'Combining strengths'

Azmin, who is Gombak MP, said there are times when such a merger is needed to leverage on both parties' strengths, citing a previous merger.

“Just as with Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM) and PKR in the past, we merged because of the two parties' strengths.

“PRM was an established party, while PKR was new and young, therefore when we combined we would become a new force.

“Perhaps PKR Youth saw there are benefits for Amanah and PKR to combine,” he said.

However Azmin, who is also Bukit Antarabangsa assemblyperson, said he will leave the decision to the top leadership to explore if there is any merit to the merger proposal.