Baru Bian: No, I did not sign statement supporting Anwar

PETALING JAYA: Sarawak PKR chief Baru Bian has denied signing the statement supporting PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

"I did not sign the statement and I am not going to sign it," said Baru when contacted on Saturday (July 20).

Baru is also the MP for Selangau and the Works Minister.

As of July 19, six PKR state chiefs have signed the statement supporting Anwar in a widening rift with his deputy Datuk Seri Azmin Ali.

The statement was issued by a group of PKR state chiefs in retaliation of another statement telling off Anwar for asking Azmin to resign if the latter was indeed one of the men in a viral sex video.

A news report on July 20 quoted Terengganu state chief Azan Ismail as saying that only three of the 14 PKR state chiefs have yet to sign the statement.

Baru was not named as being among the three who did not sign.

The three, said Azan, were from Johor, Perak and Selangor.

Johor PKR chief Hassan Karim resigned as of July 12 while Perak PKR chief Farhash Wafa Salvador Rizal Mubarak is under police remand over the viral sex video.

Azan was quoted as saying all 11 have signed as of July 20.

Baru's special functions officer Vernon Kedit said that there was no way Baru could have signed the statement as the minister had not attended the PKR retreat in Port Dickson, which is being held from July 19 to 21.

A large number of top PKR leaders who were deemed to be aligned to Azmin, were missing from the party retreat which was organised to find solutions to the problems being faced by the party.