The Malaysian Insight

SOME PKR leaders believe the rift between president Anwar Ibrahim and his deputy Mohamed Azmin Ali may have reached a critical stage but it can be de-escalated if properly handled.

They hoped the men could heed the appeal of Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad to resolve their lingering dispute.

Senator Yusmadi Yusoff was of the view the spirit that drove the party’s reform movement should be used as a “medicine” to heal the rift.

“Yes, we faced with an issue but that needs to be addressed by reform spirit and the rule of law.

“PKR must not be shaken by any issues because we hold strong to the spirit of reform,” he said.

Yusmadi pointed to the wave of support for Anwar when the former deputy prime minister was sacked from his cabinet post 20 years ago over allegations of a homosexual liaison by Dr Mahathir, who was then the fourth prime minister.

The swell of support pushed for reforms to the country’s laws and administration amid allegations that Anwar was being persecuted and there was element of abuse of power.

Now its Azmin who’s at the end of some sordid allegations surrounding the sex videos released via the Whatsapp social platform.

The party’s former Santubong Youth chief Haziq Abdullah Abdul Aziz, who had claimed he was one of the two men in the videos, is being investigated for producing and distributing them.

Haziq claimed his partner in the videos was Azmin, the Economic Affairs Minister.

Haziq is among 11 people that have been remanded for questioning by police investigating the scandal.

The detention of Anwar’s political secretary, Farhash Wafa Salvador Farhash Rizal Mubarak, raised a lot of eyebrows and had tongues wagging.

Azmin, who has denied the allegations, claimed some leaders within the party were behind the videos, a view shared by the police.

The crack within the party became more prominent on Wednesday when Anwar told Azmin to resign if the sex accusation against him was found to be true.

In a widening fallout, Azmin and many of his supporters did not show up at the party’s retreat that Wednesday night.

This has led to Dr Mahathir calling on PKR leaders to end their internal squabble over fears they would undermine the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition.

Yusmadi said they should take his advice to maintain the unity of the coalition and PH administration.

“Before, we fought him but today I say we listen to his advice.

“He wants us to realise that the coalition will fracture if the lynchpin of the coalition, that is PKR, is not strong,” he said.

Yusmadi said the rift between Anwar and Azmin could lead to a break up if party members used the issue as leverage to jockey for position and power.

“We can move forward through institutional reforms,” he said.

Shah Alam branch chief Yaakob Sapari also believed the rift needed to end.

Yaakob, who said he once fought against Dr Mahathir as a novice politician two decades ago, believed the advice of the prime minister should be taken seriously for the good of the party.

He said bad blood among party leaders from last year’s party election should end.

The election brought to prominence two distinct factions within PKR, with candidates either aligned to Azmin or his deputy presidential rival Rafizi Ramli.

Also after PH won last May’s general election, Azmin opposed the proposal for Dr Mahathir to be appointed as prime minister.

Yaakob said the bitterness that arose in the party election should not be prolonged and Azmin should also accept Anwar as the eighth prime minister.

“If we want to go forward, do not dig up the past. We must have a plan for the country.

“The party election is over and members have made their decision.

“We accepted Azmin as deputy president and he in turn needs to accept party president Anwar as prime minister after Dr Mahathir.”

Batu MP P. Prabakaran also believed that the Azmin-Anwar rift could be resolved in an amicable manner and the party president should steer the party towards the reconciliation.

“I am confident the party’s leadership can address this issue. For me, the president has the right to advise his members,” he said. – July 20, 2019.