Anwar has right to speak, says Azmin

PKR deputy president turns his guns on Dr M

SHAH ALAM: PKR deputy president Datuk Seri Azmin Ali has turned his guns on Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, telling the former prime minister that PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has the right to advise and express his opinions on Pakatan Harapan because he is also the Opposition coalition’s de facto leader.

“I wish to remind Tun Dr Mahathir that Anwar Ibrahim is Pakatan’s ketua umum (de facto leader).

“He is not just the de facto leader of PKR. As the ketua umum, he has the right to voice his opinions,” said Azmin after opening the Selangor International Business Summit 2017 here yesterday.

Azmin was responding to Pakatan chairman Dr Mahathir’s statement that the Opposition was having a little problem with PKR because Anwar had openly said they should continue to engage PAS.

On Saturday, Anwar admitted to endorsing talks between his party and PAS about working together in the coming elections despite the Pakatan presidential council’s announcement last week not to cooperate with the Islamist party.

Asked about the ongoing spat between PKR leaders Latheefa Koya and Rafizi Ramli, Azmin said he had faith that the party president would be able to resolve the matter internally.

“I call upon all leaders to stop bickering in public, especially through media agencies that are not friendly with the Opposition,” he said.

Asked if PKR would consider leaving Pakatan and joining PAS in the Gagasan Sejahtera bloc as suggested by Selangor PAS commissioner Sallehen Mukhyi on Monday, Azmin said all party matters would be discussed at party level and not in the media.

Besides the LatheefaRafizi spat, PKR had also been hit by reports that PKR secretarygeneral Datuk Saifuddin Nasution (pic) was resigning as he was unhappy with certain party leaders.

However, Saifuddin, who just returned from London, has denied the claims and said that he was consistently in contact with the party’s top leaders.

“All of them know how committed I am to the party and Pakatan Harapan.

“I have been involved with all the decisions made by the party and the coalition,” he said in a statement.

Saifuddin said the party had already made a decision not to proceed with PKRPAS talks when Anwar released a statement in which he admitted to having endorsed the talks.

Saifuddin said he believed Anwar’s statement meant that he respected the party’s decision and that it was not difficult for the PKR de facto leader to understand the situation.