PRM chief joins PKR

PETALING JAYA: Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM) president Hassan Abdul Karim has resigned from the party to join PKR.

Hassan submitted his membership application form to PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at the Johor PKR convention in Kluang yesterday.

Hassan had announced his intention to resign as president during the PRM congress in Kuala Lumpur on Nov 15.

“In the policy speech, I proposed that the party join Pakatan Rakyat. But more than 80% of the 100 delegates rejected the idea.

“As my proposal to set new directions for the party was strongly opposed, I had no other option but to announce that I was relinquishing all posts,’’ he said when contacted yesterday.

Hassan submitted his letter of resignation to party secretary-general Koh Swe Yong on Nov 17.

“I have relinquished all my posts in the party and am quitting as a member,’’ he said.

Hassan, 58, was among a few who fought hard to save PRM from being dissolved after former leaders decided to merge the party with Parti Keadilan to form PKR on Aug 3, 2003.

Those who opposed the merger held a congress in Johor on April 17, 2005 and elected Hassan as the new president.

This prompted former PRM president Dr Syed Husin Ali, former vice-president R. Sivarasa and former secretary-general Dr Sanusi Othman to file a petition in court to dissolve the party.

However, the High Court ruled on July 16 that the dissolution of the party could only take place if at least 60% of the members voted for it during a congress.

Hassan said he still loved PRM.

“But if the party operates in isolation, it is difficult to bring about changes. That is why I proposed that the party join the Pakatan Rakyat coalition,’’ he said.

PRM deputy chairman S.K. Song said most of the members rejected the idea because they thought Hassan had wanted to merge the party with PKR.

“We were shocked when Hassan put forward the idea as he was among those who had worked hard to stop the party from being dissolved,” he said.