2 Kedah PKR assemblymen quit, state government on tenterhooks

KUALA LUMPUR — Two Kedah Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) assemblymen, Mr Azman Nasrudin and Dr Robert Ling Kui Ee, have quit the party.

The duo's resignation is likely to lead to the collapse of the current state government under Chief Minister Mukhriz Mahathir, as they voiced their backing for the Perikatan Nasional (PN) bloc to take over the state administration.

The two assemblymen announced their departure from PKR in a press conference in Sungai Petani, Kedah, on Tuesday (May 12), citing a loss of confidence in party president Anwar Ibrahim.

Mr Azman said he was disappointed ever since Mr Anwar took over the party leadership and shifted everyone's focus on the latter's ambition to become the next prime minister.

"Since I joined this party in 2004, it has always been a party that listens to everyone even when we had differences of opinions because priority was given to the public.

"However, since 2018, this party has turned into a party that only revolves around the ambition of an individual to become a prime minister.

"Because of this, I feel that party sentiments supposedly to help the people were mere rhetoric simply because one person put his ambition above all else," Mr Azman told a press conference aired on Facebook.

PKR was founded in September 1998 and for the longest time, Mr Anwar's wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail was the party president and Mr Azmin Ali the deputy, until he was recently sacked from the party.

This was following a squabble between Mr Anwar and Mr Azmin which reached a boiling point during the PKR Congress last December.

Meanwhile, Dr Ling said Mr Anwar's decision to fire Mr Azmin was wrong as it led to the party breaking apart.

"Today, I would like to announce my resignation from the party as the Sungai Petani PKR division chief effective immediately. This resignation involved two-third of the division's committee as well as the Sungai Petani youth wing.

"My position as the Silam assemblyman will no longer be under the PKR logo," he said.

During the press conference, Mr Azman expressed full support for the current Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and the PN bloc to helm the country's leadership.

He also said that they would both support any attempt by PN leaders to form a new state government in Kedah. "We are not independent (assemblymen) but we are friendly to Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, just like my boss, Azmin, who is friendly to Bersatu," he said.

Asked if he would join Bersatu anytime soon, Mr Azman said: "Insha Allah (God willing) but right now, we are friendly to Bersatu."

Months after Pakatan Harapan took over Putrajaya in the historic May 9, 2018, general election, Mr Anwar's supporters began pressuring the then prime minister Mahathir Mohamad to step down and make way for Mr Anwar to take over the premiership.

This was in regard to PH's consensus prior to the election where its presidential council unanimously agreed to let Mr Anwar succeed Dr Mahathir after a reasonable period of time.

However, after endless pressure by Mr Anwar's supporters to step down as well as Mr Azmin's insistence to side-line Mr Anwar, Dr Mahathir resigned and a week later Mr Muhyiddin was appointed as the new Prime Minister

Following the move by the duo, Pakatan now has 17 seats comprising PKR (five), Bersatu (six), Amanah (four) and DAP (two).

Meanwhile, PAS holds 15 seats while Umno holds two seats, bringing it to a total 17 seats. They need another two seats to take over the state administration. NEW STRAITS TIMES