Open coalition to others, says PKR

PETALING JAYA: PKR wants the newly formed opposition pact Pa­­katan Harapan to keep its doors open to include PAS, Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) and other like-minded parties from east Malaysia.

PKR deputy president Azmin Ali said the party adopted the resolution to hold discussions with the parties concerned after a special PKR supreme council meeting yesterday.

“We are committed towards building a strong united opposition coalition to face the coming general election and to find a solution to the country’s worsening political crisis.

“We aim to make Pakatan Harapan an inclusive coalition and expand our membership to include PAS, PSM and parties from Sabah and Sarawak that are like minded,” he told reporters here yesterday.

He said PKR also wanted its oppostion partners to stop bickering as this would adversely affect the newly-formed pact.

Asked if there was a fixed time frame for negotiations to achieve the goal, Azmin said that there was none.

“We cannot fix a time frame as we need to ensure that it is beneficial and condusive for all parties,” he said.

On a separate matter, Azmin denied there was any attempt to remove PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli as the party’s secretary-general.

“The emergency supreme council meeting was called after a faction in PKR appeared to be unhappy about the rushed manner in which Pakatan Harapan was formed, following a roundtable consultation between the party and its partners DAP and Amanah on Sept 21.”