Party polls show PKR cleansed of cartel, says vice-president candidate

PETALING JAYA: Two years after a split brought about by the “Sheraton Move”, PKR members have moved on and the party has been “cleansed” of a group known as the “cartel”, according to a central committee member.

Abdullah Sani Abdul Hamid said the 2022 party elections could become an opportunity for the party to reunite following the departure of an influential group associated with former deputy president Azmin Ali.

“PKR is going through a new phase. There are no more ‘cartels’ in PKR because all of them have left with their ‘bosses’. The cleansing has been done,” said Abdullah, who is contesting to be a vice-president.

Azmin had been part of the Sheraton Move that resulted in the fall of the Pakatan Harapan government. He later joined Bersatu and is a cabinet member in the current coalition government.

His departure from PKR had been considered by some to be a slap in the face of party president Anwar Ibrahim and his supporters, as he had been by Anwar’s side for three decades.

“The members have moved on after the president (Anwar) showed a good example by being inclusive and fair to everyone,” Abdullah told FMT.

“The leadership in Selangor – also known as this so called ‘cartel’ – is still popular because members can tell the difference between past political issues and our direction for the future,” he said.

According to party sources Selangor menteri besar Amirudin Shari, who used to be close to Azmin, is a popular candidate.

“The issue of grassroot members punishing individuals once associated with Azmin does not arise. Everything regarding the election has been OK,” Abdullah said.

He said as many as 11,000 members have left PKR for the past two years, either on their own accord or after being fired from the party.

“We welcome those who have repented for what they have done,” he said.

The current party elections represent PKR’s last chance to consolidate its strength before the coming general election.

The party has suffered defeat after defeat in a series of by-elections and state elections since 2018, shaking public confidence in the party, and prompting observers to speculate that the time has come for a change in the party’s leadership.

The staggered election process concludes today after voting takes place in Perak, Sabah and Sarawak.

Unofficial results will be posted on PKR’s official website within 24 hours after voting ends while the official results will be announced at the PKR national congress on June 25.

The focus will be on the contest between Saifuddin Nasution and Rafizi Ramli for the deputy presidency, while in Selangor, Anwar’s former political secretary Farhash Wafa Salvador Rizal Mubarak will be competing against Amirudin in Gombak, where Azmin was formerly the divisional leader.