Zafrul appointed to PKR's political bureau

Former Umno leader Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz has been appointed to PKR’s political bureau as an ex-officio member.

Zafrul, a former investment, trade, and industry minister, was accepted as a PKR member in July last year, after he tendered his resignation from Umno and announced his intention to join PKR on May 30.

PKR information chief Fahmi Fadzil announced the matter in a statement last night, following the party’s central leadership council’s monthly meeting earlier in the day.

Other appointments to the bureau include Economy Minister Akmal Nasir, Youth and Sports Minister Taufiq Johari, and Penang Deputy Chief Minister I Mohamad Abdul Hamid.

Another appointee to the bureau is former federal territories minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa, who is also the PKR secretary-general.

The Sekijang MP was previously appointed as the chairperson for the Backbenchers Club, following Umno’s Paya Besar MP Shahar Abdullah’s elevation to the deputy economy minister post during the cabinet reshuffle last month.

Sabah state minister Jamawi Ja’afar, as well as PKR’s candidates during the previous Sabah elections - Ruji Ubi (Merotai) and Yamani Hafez Musa (Sindumin) - were also appointed as ex-officio members of the council.

Both candidates failed in their bids to secure the state seats.

Party congress in June

Fahmi further stated that the PKR National Congress will be held between June 25 and 28 in Malacca, with detailed information on the event to be issued by the party’s headquarters soon.

The leadership council, he added, had also reviewed the implementation of the government’s latest initiatives, including the National Education Blueprint, which Fahmi described as a “comprehensive effort” to ensure better education quality and prepare the younger generation to face an increasingly challenging digital world.

People-centric assistance programmes were also discussed during the meeting, with the council seeing such measures as “capable of being improved” to guarantee that cost-of-living issues are addressed comprehensively.

“Measures to combat corruption and cartel groups were also supported, so that public funds are not misappropriated to enrich certain groups,” Fahmi said.

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