S’wak PKR heads ask Anwar for autonomy in party matters

Calling for action: Baru (seated centre) flanked by Sarawak PKR state leaders during the press conference in Kuala Lumpur.

KUALA LUMPUR: Thirty-two Sarawak PKR leaders have asked Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to save the party from “manoeuvring” politicians in the state.

Led by Sarawak PKR chief Baru Bian, he said they were here not to issue any threats but to ask for the promised free hand in running the party’s affairs in the state.

“We are genuinely dismayed and disturbed by recent events that have betrayed our party’s principles of justice and democracy.

“As much as other national leaders wish to portray the narrative that the retracting of the invitation to officiate at the PKR Youth Convention was merely a move away from tradition, we must remind everyone that 21 out of 25 elected youth leaders had opposed the retraction (of invitation to deputy president Datuk Seri Azmin Ali), ” said Baru in a press conference.

Last Friday, the Works Minister, who is Selangau MP, led a group of Sarawak PKR leaders to cancel the state convention scheduled on Saturday as they had disagreed with the rescinding of an earlier invitation for Azmin to officiate the PKR Youth convention.

Convention director Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, however, said the event in Miri would go on as scheduled.

Baru, who is also Ba’Kelalan assemblyman, said the decision by the headquarters to proceed with the state convention blatantly ignored the wishes of the majority of the state leadership.

“It breaches the autonomy agreement. We strongly urge the top leaders to close ranks for the sake of the party, ” he said.