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Sunday, May 26, 2024

PKR’s lack of reps a hurdle in state reshuffle, says analyst

 

FMT - https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2024/05/26/pkrs-lack-of-reps-a-hurdle-in-state-reshuffle-says-analyst/


PKR’s lack of reps a

hurdle in state reshuffle,

says analyst

Faiz Zainudin-

The party is restricted in the choice of new leaders, with few elected representatives in four states and none in three others.

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Senior leaders like Rafizi Ramli, Amirudin Shari and Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad are PKR chiefs of two states each.

PETALING JAYA: An analyst expects PKR to struggle to reshuffle its state leadership councils considering the party’s lack of elected representatives in various states.

Rusdi Omar of Universiti Utara Malaysia said PKR had few elected representatives in Melaka, Johor, Pahang and Sabah, and no MPs or state assemblymen in Kelantan, Terengganu and Sarawak.

Rusdi said many MPs and assemblymen would usually be the up and coming figures who could lead the state chapters.

“Many of the PKR leaders in these states lost elections, making it hard for the top leadership to reshuffle the leadership to strengthen the party,” he told FMT.

He added that their absence meant that PKR stood to lose visibility among younger voters and thus their support.

“Youngsters used to support PKR but have now shifted to Perikatan Nasional,” he said. “In fact, the PKR Youth leadership isn’t like those days. After getting positions and posts they’ve become lackadaisical.”

Three PKR leaders are heads of two state chapters each: deputy president Rafizi Ramli (Federal Territories and Johor); vice-president Amirudin Shari (Selangor and Pahang); and vice-president Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad (Kelantan and Terengganu).

Other state leaders are not elected representatives, as in Penang (Nurul Izzah Anwar), Kedah (Nor Azrina Surip), Perlis (Noor Amin Ahmad), Melaka (Rafee Ibrahim), Sabah (Sangkar Rasam) and Sarawak (Roland Engan).

Last month, Nik Nazmi said the party will reshuffle state leaderships soon, with PKR president Anwar Ibrahim already deciding on changes to be made in Perlis, Kedah, Perak, Penang, Negeri Sembilan and Selangor.

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia analyst Mazlan Ali said PKR was a victim of excessive politicking and an “over-democratic” nature, citing the turmoil within the Sabah PKR leadership.

“This is an example of too much politicking. By right, the leadership that has been elected should be given the opportunity to serve and finish their term,” he said.

In March, 15 out of 26 Sabah division chiefs called for state chairman Sangkar Rasam to step down; they walked out of a state leadership meeting after expressing their unhappiness with his leadership

Christina Liew, the head of Sabah Pakatan Harapan and a member of the state Cabinet, is among those who stated a loss of confidence in Sangkar.

Liew herself had undergone a similar leadership crisis in December 2021 when the heads of 17 divisions called for her removal as Sabah PKR leader, citing the party’s declining influence as the main opposition party in the state.

At the time, the Tawau division Youth chief Tommy Thomas claimed that the leaders of these divisions had signed statutory declarations rejecting Liew’s leadership.

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