Three Amanah reps leave party to join PKR

Reports by JOCELINE TAN, ZAKIAH KOYA, RAHIMY RAHIM and VENESA DEVI

JOHOR BARU: Three Johor Parti Amanah Negara assemblymen have left the party to join PKR.

The three are Senggarang assemblyman Khairuddin A. Rahim, Mahkota assemblyman Muhamad Said Jonit and Serom assemblyman Faizul Amri Adnan.

Khairuddin confirmed that they had joined PKR since last year.

“We sent in our applications around September last year and it was approved somewhere around November.

“I left the party as I wanted to contest for a parliamentary seat but there are limited seats for Johor Amanah to contest in, ” he said, adding that he had not sent any formal request to leave Amanah as it was not required for him to do so.

Johor Amanah chairman Aminolhuda Hassan downplayed the matter, adding that the party had not received any official resignation letter from the assemblymen.“We are waiting for further information on the matter. We will leave it to the central leadership to decide on the action to take against the three assemblymen, ” he said.

Aminolhuda, who is also the state Pakatan Harapan chief, said the reason for them quitting the party to PKR was ultimately to have better opportunities to contest in the next general election.

He claimed that PKR offered the assemblymen seats under the party’s ticket in the next general election.

“However, PKR should not have accepted their request to join the party to maintain solidarity in the Pakatan coalition.

“This will cause all kinds of perception among component parties under PH, ” he said.

Meanwhile, Amanah deputy president Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub thanked the three ex-Johor Amanah assemblymen.

In a statement yesterday, Salahuddin said efforts had been made by the president and himself to get the three of them to stay.

“Coffee sessions and closed meetings were held. I had even met them privately and gave them my views as a fellow comrade.

“However, in the end they chose to leave. That is within their rights and I respect it, ” he said.

Amanah youth chief Shazni Munir Mohd Ithnin reminded PKR not to be a hypocrite by accepting his party’s elected representatives.

He said PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim needed to reject the culture of party hopping between the component parties (of Pakatan) which is clearly beneficial to only one party and this kind of politics should be avoided.

“As a coalition partner in Pakatan Harapan (PH), accepting these party hoppers will only cause tensions between the parties, ” he said in a statement yesterday.

Shazni Munir said PH generally agreed that party hopping among elected representatives was clear abuse of the country’s democratic system.

“In a statement issued by PKR secretary-general (Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail) yesterday, it was clearly stated that the party rejected party hopping aimed at weakening any party in the opposition bloc.

“However, also on the same day, the media reported that PKR had accepted a few elected representatives in Johor, ” he said.