PETALING JAYA: Pressure is building up within PKR to dismiss party senior leader Zuraida Kamaruddin for insulting party members and publicly disclosing details of an alleged private conversation she had with party president Anwar Ibrahim.
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A PKR official told FMT that the issue was likely to be raised during the party’s central committee meeting on Jan 18.
“There are members calling for her dismissal from the party.
“But the outcome will only be known during the meeting as all views will be taken into consideration,” he told FMT.
He said unhappiness within party members against the housing and local government minister was increasing after the party vice-president attacked other leaders during her speech at the “Shared Prosperity Vision” dinner on Dec 8, 2019.
The dinner was organised by PKR deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali at the Renaissance Hotel shortly after those aligned to Azmin’s faction boycotted the final day of the party’s national congress in Melaka.
Zuraida claimed that Anwar had tried to convince her that it was Azmin in a sex video that went viral in June.
She also claimed that Anwar’s judgement seemed to have been affected by the influence of the “novice” and “mafia” in the party, veiled digs at PKR communications director Fahmi Fadzil and Perak PKR chief Farhash Wafa Salvador.
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The source said it was still not clear if Zuraida would be sacked from the party but “the push is strong.”
Another PKR insider said there were also party members who were unhappy with Azmin but they had not called for his dismissal.
“Azmin knows how to play with words. He does not criticise harshly and uses a softer approach in hitting out at his opponents.
“He doesn’t attack directly. He is still considered a political survivor by many,” another PKR member said.
Anwar and Azmin are locked in an open war within the party with Zuraida aligned to Azmin’s faction.
However, the insider told FMT that the best way to deal with the issue was to abide by the party constitution which required leaders to attend the central committee meetings at least six times out of the 12 times that they were held in a year.
“If we want the party to be respected, everyone has to follow party rules,” he added. -FMT