State party chiefs threaten to cancel Miri convention if problem not resolved
KUCHING: Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) is going through a storm and its State Leadership Council (MPN) has called on the national Keadilan top leadership to immediately move to avert what it called “party crisis”.
In a statement yesterday, it said “until and unless it is resolved satisfactorily and democratic principles are restored and honoured within the party, the Keadilan Sarawak Convention slated for Nov 23 in Miri is cancelled”.
“MPN Sarawak is dismayed and disturbed that the deputy president’s (Datuk Seri Azmin Ali) invitation to officiate at the PKR Youth (AMK) National Convention was rescinded by the AMK National wing leader and all the AMK state chiefs unilaterally,” it said.
It further said it has been a longstanding tradition and convention of all political parties worldwide to have the deputy president officiate at the conventions of the various wings of the parties and Keadilan has followed in this “venerable tradition” since its inception.
“This tradition has been summarily discarded despite a more than two-thirds majority of elected AMK National office-bearers signing on their unequivocal support for the deputy president to officiate at their convention.
“This unilateral decision by a handful of leaders to rescind the invitation shows no respect for the voice of Keadilan members represented by elected office- bearers. Democracy within the party is now under serious threat and is being blatantly disregarded.
“Where is the principle of ‘one member one vote’? If left unchecked, disregarding this will make Keadilan’s democratic principles an embarrassing farce,” MPN Sarawak said.
MPN Sarawak said they cannot and will not condone such an attack on the democratic principles that the party stands for and on which it was founded.
“As responsible leaders, this crisis must be arrested now before it leads to the total fragmentation of the party which we have struggled to put together in the name of democracy and justice,” it added.
