Balung rep not PKR member – vice chairman
KOTA KINABALU: The Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Sabah Leadership Council has denied the Balung Assemblyman’s claim to be a PKR member.
According to Sabah PKR vice chairman, Mohd Amin Abdul Mem, the council must look into several matters before it can consider accepting Datuk Osman Jamal’s application to become a member of the party.
He cited that this included Osman’s pending court case as well as the sentiment of the party’s loyal PKR supporters and voters who had spent years fighting against Umno and Barisan Nasional whom Osman had pledged his loyalty to.
Mohd Amin added that Osman also contested for the Balung State seat under UMNO and BN ticket and won.
“We cannot ignore all these and accept him,” he said.
Mohd Amin, who is also PKR’s Semporna Branch head, also said that the council should be the one to decide whether to accept or reject Osman’s membership application.
He added that it wasn’t right for Osman to bypass the State Leadership Council which has the full autonomy to decide on party policies and matters in Sabah.
Osman was alleged to have applied online for the PKR membership, which had been approved by the party’s Central Leadership Council.
However, the Sabah Leadership Council insisted that Osman must apply through the State secretariat.
Mohd Amin said that the State Leadership Council did not consider Osman as its member until it made the decision.
Osman has also been reported to have applied to join Parti Warisan Sabah but was unsuccessful.