Keadilan today disputed claims that the party plans to remove all pro-Abim divisional and state liaison chiefs in a massive purging exercise.

Its newly appointed supreme council member Khalid Jaafar said there was no reason for removing them as they served the party well.

"I am absolutely sure that the party has no plan to remove any of the pro-Abim leaders in divisional and state liaison levels," said Khalid.

Responding to a speculation that newly elected secretary-general Sahri Bahari would most likely intervene in the process of appointing state liaison chiefs, Khalid denied it.

"It is clear that such positions are appointed by party president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail," he said.

Khalid added that the appointment of divisional chiefs were made by representatives from the constituency and they are free from any influence, especially from the secretary-general and other top party leadership.

Wan Azizah was reported by The Sun on Sunday to be under pressure to decide on the appointment of state liaison chiefs and two vice-presidents during the party's supreme council meeting on Thursday.

Problem with leadership

The newspaper claimed that a nagging problem that the new leadership has to resolve is the status of several divisions that have not been registered, mostly in states where former secretary-general Mohd Annuar Tahir was said to have been in control.

It claimed that Annuar's influence was in the form of the appointment of those close to the former Abim secretary-general to state and division positions.

Meanwhile political observers said Keadilan leaders in the Federal Territory, Malacca, Terengganu, Kelantan, Perlis and Sarawak are expected to be purged by the latest early next year.

However, the obstacle to a massive purging exercise is that only division heads can become state liaison chiefs and at present, most of the divisions that have been approved are controlled by Annuar.

One option available for Wan Azizah to counter this glitch is to delay the announcement of the supreme council portfolio until the divisional elections.