Don't call us beggars, PPP tells Nazri

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz launched a verbal tirade against PPP, decribing the Barisan Nasional component party, among others, as 'beggars'.

The harsh attack appeared to be a bitter pill to swallow for PPP Youth chief T Murugiah.

He said it was not appropriate for Nazri, who is also a Umno and BN supreme council member, to label PPP using such a degoratory term.

Murugiah said it was best for parties in the ruling coalition to resolve their differences in the spirit of brotherhood and concentrate on battling the 'real enemy' - Pakatan Rakyat.

"We admit that BN has done a lot for the people and the PPP as well. But I think it is wrong for Nazri to describe us as beggars," he told Malaysiakini when contacted this afternoon.

What is PPP waiting for?

Mstar today quoted Nazri as warning PPP against making threats and reiterating the government's stand that it would not amend the Internal Security Act.

"Today or before the next general elections, we will not repeal the ISA so I want to ask, what is PPP waiting for? Leave BN... don't try to threaten us," he said.

Nazri said Umno had to sacrifice the Bukit Gantang parliamentary seat in a trade off with Gerakan in order for PPP president M Kayveas to contest in the Taiping parliamentary seat.

He added that PPP, which has no other seats, had failed to win Taiping and the party’s continued presence in BN is of no benefit to the ruling coalition.

"When you are a mosquito, do not try to threaten an elephant. When you become beggars, don't try to threaten (us)," he said.

On Nov 30, Kayveas warned that his party would withdraw from BN if the government did not amend the ISA before the next elections.

Following this, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said on Tuesday that the security law would not be amended, and PPP was free to leave the coalition.

Yesterday, the PPP supreme council expressed full support for Kayveas and reiterated its threat on the ISA.

Meanwhile, Murugiah said PPP did not intend to threaten anyone and claimed that the issue could have been misinterpreted by certain quarters.

"Maybe our intention was misinterpreted. Among BN members, there should not be any misunderstanding. We in BN are like brothers," he said.

Kayveas not surprised by Rajah's sacking

In a separate development, Kayveas said he was not surprised that the PPP supreme council had decided to expel former president SI Rajah.

According to the president, "this is the fourth time that Rajah got sacked from the party."

"Since the demise of then president SP Seenivasagam in 1975, this man has been either taking the party to court or asking every other president to step down," he stated in a SMS (short messaging system) to Malaysiakini today.

Kayveas said that during the tenure of other PPP presidents, Rajah had been expelled three times when he either took the presidents to court or demanded their resignation.

"When I took presidency in 1993, he again took the party to court. But I reinstated him after we cleared his bankruptcy for him. He self proclaimed himself as the party advisor when there is no such post or provision in the party constitution.

"He never contributed anything for the party. I don’t think I will help him again. He belongs to the unwanted generation in politics who don’t believe in changes for the betterment of society," he added.

Kayveas is currently in the United States and will return on Dec 24.

Yesterday, the PPP supreme council decided to sack Rajah after he was quoted in a news report urging Kayveas to step down.