Anwar should strengthen PKR before aiming to be PM - Zuraida
PKR president Anwar Ibrahim ought to sort out issues within the party before he guns to be the next prime minister, urged estranged former party leader Zuraida Kamaruddin.
The ex-vice president said so when asked about the party’s recent move to sack several office-bearers seen to be aligned with her and former deputy president Azmin Ali.
PKR president Anwar Ibrahim ought to sort out issues within the party before he guns to be the next prime minister, urged estranged former party leader Zuraida Kamaruddin.
The former party vice-president said so when asked about PKR's recent move to sack several office-bearers seen to be aligned with her and former party deputy president Azmin Ali.
“As I said before I left PKR, I think the party president should look into the party and strengthen it (and) then he can become the prime minister.
“If he doesn’t strengthen the party (and) the party is not strong, how do you want to become prime minister?
“That is very basic, actually,” she said when doorstepped by the media after attending the Asia Pacific Conference of Young Scientists prize-giving ceremony organised by the Cheras Education Foundation (YPC).
PKR disciplinary board chairperson Ahmad Kassim announced yesterday that five party leaders had been booted out - Women's chief Haniza Talha, Penang Women's chief Nur Zarina Zakaria, Sabah Women's chief Rahimah Majid, as well as two Penang assemblypersons Dr Afif Bahardin (Seberang Jaya) and Zulkifli Ibrahim (Sungai Acheh).
He also issued warning letters to vice-president Chua Tian Chang (or Tian Chua), Machap Jaya assemblyperson Ginie Lim and Penang Women’s communications chief Carolyn Khor.
Haniza reportedly described her sacking as an “act of revenge” against party members who were aligned to Azmin.
Zuraida - who is the Housing and Local Government minister - elaborated that these sackings ought to serve as a “lesson” to Anwar.
“I think it should be a learning lesson [sic] as a signal to the party president to look into (and) internalise what he should do in order to improve the party,” she said this afternoon.
Azmin, Zuraida and nine other PKR MPs had quit the party and joined Bersatu during the “Sheraton Move” political coup in February.
At the time, Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin had taken his party out of the Pakatan Harapan coalition to form a new government with BN, PAS, GPS, STAR and PBS.
Following the Harapan administration’s collapse, Azmin loyalists have either left PKR or been removed by the party.
The opposition bloc has since attempted to stage a counter-coup against Perikatan Nasional, but PKR’s insistence on Anwar as its prime minister candidate has appeared to stall progress.
Asked if there will be more MPs supporting PN in the coming parliamentary sitting on July, Zuraida appeared optimistic.
“God willing,” she said in response, but did not elaborate.
PN had 113 MPs on its side versus 109 MPs on the opposition bloc as of the previous parliamentary sitting on May 18.
Since then, however, Lubok Antu MP Jugah Muyang announced his resignation from PKR and is joining Bersatu on June 5.
Sri Gading MP Shahruddin Md Salleh, meanwhile, had resigned as deputy works minister but said he would remain with Bersatu.
