No character assassination, PKR members told:

GEORGE TOWN: PKR members casting their votes during the party polls next month are reminded to be disciplined and not resort to character assassination campaigns.

The party’s secretary-general Datuk Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said PKR practises democracy and members were free to support and choose their candidates.

“They are free to provide their support but they must be disciplined and not get sucked into character assassination, making false accusations or slander,” said Saifuddin after launching the Food Bank programme at Tesco Extra Sungai Dua yesterday.

He also advised members to make their choices based on the commitment of the candidates to the party’s struggles, contribution of ideas and their creativity.

The PKR party elections will run for nine weeks beginning September. Today is nomination day for candidates who want to contest for the national posts.

Over 900,000 PKR members will be eligible to vote in the party polls through an electronic balloting system.

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is the party’s de facto leader, has expressed his intention to run for the president’s post, which is currently held by his wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

Vice president Rafizi Ramli has offered himself for the deputy president’s post, which is currently held by Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali.

In Kota Kinabalu, the number of PKR members vying for divisional posts in Sabah is expected to increase by more than 50% compared to the last party election, said state PKR chief coordinator Rosli Masaliku.

This, he said, was based on the number of nomination forms that were sold and the candidates who registered.

“More than 1,000 nomination forms have been sold so far,” he said.