The Malaysian Insight

PKR leaders have been told to attend the party’s weekly political bureau meetings if they have any issue to raise instead of airing them publicly.

Taking exception to these leaders, party secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the weekly meeting is the right forum to raise any concern.

While the Kulim MP didn’t name the regular absentees, he did express disappointment in their lack of priority over party matters.

The Malaysian Insight learnt that among the leaders who regularly miss the political bureau meetings are deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali and others from his camp.

“All parties, especially the top leaders, should attend these meetings and make use of the proper party channels. They have to attend these meetings which are held regularly.

“This means they can’t have other programmes when they know the meetings are held at a set time. Every Wednesday, at 8.30pm, they should be at the political bureau meetings. They must give priority to this,” the domestic trade and consumer affairs minister told The Malaysian Insight.

He stressed that all leaders are given early notice of all party meetings.

“But this is the time they will head overseas or return to their constituencies. The meeting notices are issued earlier to them. They should work around that. Only then you can say that they love the party.”

Sources told The Malaysian Insight said some leaders have only attended a handful of political bureau meetings since the party elections last December.

In recent weeks, decisions made in the party’s political bureau meetings have been questioned by some leaders accuse PKR president Anwar Ibrahim and his supporters of controlling the agenda.

The party is embroiled in internal turmoil following the release of a sex video involving two men in May.

Former Santubong PKR youth leader Haziq Abdullah Abdul Aziz admitted being one of the men while saying the other was Economic Affairs Minister Azmin.

Azmin denied the claim, saying that it was a plot to end his political career. The manner in which the party handled the scandal has also led to a rift between Anwar and Azmin.

The police have arrested 11 men, including Haziq and Anwar’s political secretary Farhash Wafa Salvador, over the sex video.

Saifudin also urged all party leaders to be circumspect when issuing statements over the sex scandal.

“Party leaders should have self-discipline issuing statements on the matter. They should know when to open their mouth and when to keep quiet.” – July 27, 2019.