The Malaysian Insight

FOR a leadership retreat, the PKR get-together in Port Dickson this weekend was notable for lacklustre attendance from key party figures, some citing a clash of schedules as the reason for their absence.

Wanita chief Haniza Talha has not attended, with one of her exco office staff stating the Lembah Jaya assemblywoman had to attend a prior event in her constituency in Ampang this morning.

Haniza had been scheduled to deliver a speech at the retreat, but the source at her office said she had only been informed of this at short notice.

The retreat, which began last night, is being held as PKR struggles with the fallout over the sex video implicating deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali, who has vigorously denied being in the clip.

Azmin is also a notable absentee from the retreat for party central committee leaders, MPs, assemblymen, senators and state chiefs, despite the fact that he too is scheduled to give a speech tonight.

Haniza and Azmin join five out of nine PKR vice-presidents who were not seen at the event, although it does continue tomorrow.

Zuraida Kamarudin, Dr Xavier Jayakumar, Rafizi Ramli, Ali Biju and Chang Lih Klang were not present this morning, as well as former vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar.

However, by this afternoon only Zuraida and Ali Biju, had not arrived.

Zuraida has informed the media that she has to prepare for and attend an event for World Firefighters Day in Kuala Lumpur today, while she and Haniza are not expected to attend the rest of the retreat as they are headed for Surabaya, Indonesia, to visit a public housing programme, The Star reports.

The retreat’s organisation also shows signs of hasty preparation. Nurul Izzah, who quit her vice-president’s post in December, is still listed as a VP in the programme.

She is also slated to give a speech tonight.

Vice-president Chua Tian Chang, also known as Tian Chua, who was present at the retreat this morning denied the other senior figures were deliberately avoiding the retreat.

“There is no concerted effort not to attend,” he was quoted saying by The Star.

The retreat opened last night with Prime Minister and Pakatan Harapan chairman Dr Mahathir Mohamad in his speech urging senior figures to end the infighting, because it endangered the coalition’s hold on power.

Party leaders who gave speeches this morning were youth chief Akmal Nasrullah Nasir and information chief Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin.

PKR leaders are openly taking each other to task over Azmin’s alleged involvement in the sex video, after party president Anwar Ibrahim’s recent statement that his deputy should resign if he was indeed involved.

This followed police’s statement that it was “highly probable” the sex video was authentic, while adding it was possible “a leader of a political party” was behind the video’s dissemination.

Anwar’s remarks drew rebuke from 28 party leaders, including four vice-presidents, who said he should not have been so divisive.

In response, several party state chiefs signed a pledge, affirming Anwar’s stewardship as party president. – July 20, 2019.