Both Umno and PKR say they have not heard anything official from Zafrul
PETALING JAYA: Umno has not received a resignation letter from Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz (pic), while PKR says he has not applied to join it, say leaders from both parties.
Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Tengku Zafrul, who is a party supreme council member and Kota Raja Umno chief, had not met with him to express his intention to leave the party.
“So far, there has been no application from Tengku Zafrul to leave Umno and join PKR.
“He has not met with me, so we cannot confirm this matter,” he said after attending the fourth convocation ceremony of the Central Terengganu Development Authority (Ketengah) College in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
In Pontian, PKR information chief Fahmi Fadzil reiterated that no application was received from Tengku Zafrul to join the party.
Fahmi, who is also Communications Minister and government spokesman, said he met Tengku Zafrul during the Cabinet meeting on Friday but did not have the chance to ask him about the matter.
“He attended the Cabinet meeting, but the matter was not discussed there. It was only reported in the media,” he said during an event at Kampung Seri Bunian.
When asked about the possibility of Tengku Zafrul receiving a special pathway into the party due to his position as Investment, Trade and Industry Minister, Fahmi dismissed the idea.
On Friday, PKR secretary-general Fuziah Salleh confirmed that no application had been submitted from Tengku Zafrul.
The Star yesterday reported that Tengku Zafrul, who quit his post as Selangor Umno treasurer, is set to leave the party to join PKR.
Top-level negotiations have already been completed for his entry into Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s party, according to those in the know.
When Tengku Zafrul quit his Selangor Umno post, the announcement was seen as a strong statement that he no longer had any interest in Umno.
He had cited differences of opinion and a lack of direction for his decision.
In a statement shared via Facebook, he said the state Umno needed strong leadership to again make it the powerhouse that it once was.
Meanwhile, Selangor Opposition leader Datuk Seri Azmin Ali questioned the need for PKR to “import” new leaders from outside the party.
“Has PKR run out of leaders in Selangor to lead the state, to the point where they have to import ‘players’ from Umno to revive Selangor PKR?
“This is a blow to Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari, who is also the PKR vice-president,” said Azmin.
He added that during Amirudin’s tenure, Perikatan won “big” in the state elections by winning 21 state seats.
“Amirudin should be allowed to continue his tenure until the end to ensure he can govern properly,” said Azmin.
