Zuraida: Anwar needs to meet with PKR office-bearers

GEORGE TOWN (Bernama): PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim should not deny the request made by the party elected office-bearers for a special meeting to discuss on the party's direction, says vice-president Zuraida Kamaruddin.

She said the meeting, which should not include appointed office-bearers, would be the best avenue for Anwar to iron out whatever issues or differences that arose between him and some of the party's elected office-bearers.

"(All) we want (is) just a meeting between all the duly elected office-bearers with the party president. We don't want people to misjudge us for something that we cannot say out to the public. We hope the president will agree to meet us," she told reporters after officiating the PKR's annual general meetings for Bagan, Jelutong and Tanjung divisions here Monday (Sept 16).

She made the remarks to clarify her absence from several of the party's central leadership council's meetings, which she felt was not the avenue to discuss on a "reconciliation" that needed to be discussed just between the president and the elected office-bearers.

"I have a good reason not to attend the meetings. We should be given a chance to speak (directly to Anwar) on behalf of our supporters... for the good of Keadilan," she said.

Zuraida, who is also the Housing and Local Government Minister, said she would not rule out the Opposition taking advantage of the situation facing PKR now, but was confident that it would not affect the party being part of the government.

"They (Opposition parties) won't gain much. Other parties have problems of their own," she added.

She also poured cold water on the PAS-Umno charter signed last Saturday (Sept 14), which she said would not be carrying much bearing to PKR being a multi-racial party.

"It is just a political gimmick (to garner support particularly among the Malays). We also have the Indians, the Chinese who are also with our party. I am not worried about that," she added.

The charter, which was signed between Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and his PAS counterpart, Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, outlined five core issues concerning the rights of the bumiputra and Muslims without rejecting the rights of people of other races and religions. – Bernama