MACC report lodged over Julau PKR membership list

KUCHING: The controversy over Julau PKR’s membership list has intensified as Sarawak PKR leaders are turning to anti-corruption authorities to investigate alleged irregularities.

Standing by his complaint of dubious registration of members in Julau, state PKR information chief Vernon Kedit (pic) lodged a report with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) yesterday.

This comes a day after Julau MP Larry Sng lodged a police report against Kedit for allegedly making false claims in a statutory declaration (SD) dated Oct 17.

Kedit said the state PKR had “no option” but to report the matter to MACC as it had “exhausted all internal channels”.

He had issued the SD to spell out the irregularities after two earlier objections to the party’s headquarters went unheeded.

The SD stated that 1,310 individuals were registered without their knowledge or consent as they never intended to join the party, 65 were re-registered although they were already members and 71 were registered twice at different branches.

“We would like to request that MACC conduct a thorough and exhaustive investigation into these grave matters to ascertain if there was any abuse or misuse of power by certain party leaders in covering up the irregularities and illegalities stated in my SD, as our party’s image and credibility has come under public scrutiny,” Kedit told reporters outside the state MACC office here.

He was accompanied by Sarawak PKR vice-chairman See Chee How, secretary Nicholas Bawin and several branch chiefs.

Asked whether he was pinpointing any party leaders in the report, he said it was a general one.

“It is up to MACC to investigate and dig deeper into the matter. We will let MACC do its work,” he said.

The Julau branch saw a sudden increase in its membership from 603 on June 26 to 13,000 a day later.

Meanwhile, See said the party should investigate the Julau membership list and clean up any irregularities.

“PKR is a reformist and progressive party. We are going into e-voting to make the system better and more transparent under democratic principles.

“That’s why, if the membership manifestly has illegalities and irregularities, we have to look into the matter,” he added.

Sarawak PKR goes to the polls on Nov 10, the last state to do so.

Of the state’s 29 branches, 13 will see a contest for the chairman’s post, including Julau, where current chairman Semana Sawang is facing Sng.