Zuraida downplays veiled 'dictator' reference to party appointments
Zuraida Kamarudin has denied that her Utusan Malaysia article was aimed at PKR or party president Anwar Ibrahim.
The PKR vice-president said today she was merely giving a "general" view in the full-page opinion piece, and not on any party or leader in particular.
"I did not point a finger at PKR because as a politician and a citizen of Malaysia, I have the right to offer my vision of politics...
Zuraida Kamarudin has denied that her Utusan Malaysia article was aimed at PKR or party president Anwar Ibrahim.
The PKR vice-president said today she was merely giving a "general" view in the full-page opinion piece, and not on any party or leader in particular.
"I did not point a finger at PKR because as a politician and a citizen of Malaysia, I have the right to offer my vision of politics and the future.
"So it is not necessary (that I) point fingers or refer to a particular party. That's my view as a whole and in general," she said when met at a seminar in Petaling Jaya.
In her opinion piece published in the Umno-owned daily, Zuraida said recent leadership appointments by “a political party” were a betrayal of democracy.
She said the party's constitution allowed for its president to decide on certain appointments, but added that this should have been done after consultations with the grassroots.
Although not naming any political party or leader, her remarks were seen as a veiled attack on Anwar.
As Zuraida said today, however, it was the media that drew the conclusion that she was referring to the PKR president.
The chasm between the camps of PKR deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali and Rafizi Ramli has widened since the close of the PKR elections in November.
After the polls – in which leaders aligned to Azmin secured many victories – Rafizi and Saifuddin Nasution Ismail were elected as the party vice-president and secretary-general respectively.
Anwar also co-opted members into the party's central leadership council, and appointed leaders to head the party's 14 state chapters.
Some of the appointments either did not stand for election, or lost their respective contests at the council and division levels. Others were relatively junior party members.
In her article, Zuraida said that these were driven by the appointees' fear of losing.
Meanwhile, the housing and local government minister said that she had no knowledge of the speculated cabinet reshuffle in the near future.
"I don't know about any reshuffle," she said.
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