Sec-gen’s action likely to cause cracks in Azmin-Wan Azizah ties

PETALING JAYA: The move by PKR secretary-general Rafizi Ramli to lodge a report on alleged graft in the Selangor government led by the party’s powerful deputy president Datuk Seri Azmin Ali is threatening to split the party further.

The rift within the party – with Azmin on one side and president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail on the other – is already an open secret before this latest development.

Rafizi entered the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) head­quarters around noon yesterday to submit information on certain individuals, whom he did not name, in relation to the running of the state government.

Dr Wan Azizah, with whom Rafizi is seen to be aligned, had instructed him to submit any evidence of such alleged corruption to the MACC.

The allegations first surfaced in a PKR member’s WhatsApp group message that was leaked.

Rafizi later confirmed that he wrote the message.

In a statement on May 20 following Rafizi’s admission, Azmin denounced the allegations, saying that there was no proof.

The accusations, Azmin said, were part of a systematic smear campaign against the state government.

Yesterday, the Selangor Mentri Besar did not attend some of his scheduled functions and declined requests for a statement in response to Rafizi’s latest move to report to the MACC.

With the latest turn of events taking place less than a week before nomination for the Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar by-elections on Sunday, officials from PKR’s Pakatan Harapan partners, namely DAP and Amanah, were quick to downplay the prospects of infighting in the party between Azmin and his supporters against those aligned with Dr Wan Azizah and Rafizi.

Klang MP Charles Santiago of DAP said any infighting within the party would not affect the upcoming by-elections.

“It appears that the infighting is largely within PKR. Given that Amanah (Parti Amanah Negara) is contesting in Sungai Besar, the impact would be minimal,” he said.

Rafizi himself declined to give details about his complaint.

However, he admitted that it was “rare” for a senior party leader to lodge a report against his own members but stressed that “it should be the way”.