BATU PAHAT, March 12 — About 500 Batu Pahat PKR division members, including its deputy chief, women’s wing chief and Youth chief, have today declared their exit from the party citing unhappiness with the party’s leadership.

Former Batu Pahat PKR deputy chief Pek Hwee Seong said that the decision was made due to the members’ disappointment with the party’s State Leadership Council (MPN) for taking over the division after its former division chief Datuk Rashid Hasnon quit the party to be an Independent.

He said that the division’s members had earlier decided to remain in PKR but were disappointed when MPN announced that it would take over the party’s Batu Pahat division yesterday.

"With that, we decided to quit the party today,” said Pek during a press conference held outside the Batu Pahat parliamentary service centre in Taman Bukit Pasir here today.

Present at the press conference was Rashid, who is the Batu Pahat MP.

Pek, who represented the other members from the division, claimed that the decision by the party leadership to take over the Batu Pahat division contravenes Article 37.9 of the party’s constitution, which states that if there is a vacuum in the division chief position, its deputy chief should be given the post.

Meanwhile, Johor PKR deputy chief Jimmy Puah Wee Tse said he is aware of the situation.

However, he also played down the number of PKR members from the division that quit as claimed by Pek.

"We at the state PKR admit that there have been some members who have quit the party in light of the political situation as they are free to associate themselves with any organisation,” said Puah when contacted by Malay Mail.

However, Puah said it was doubtful that the PKR members who have left were unhappy with MPN’s decision to take over the party’s Batu Pahat division.

"We feel that there was some instigation by certain parties due to its former chief quitting the party,” he said, adding that the state PKR is doing its best to explain to all Johor grassroots members on the current political scenario.

Rashid, who is also the Dewan Rakyat Deputy Speaker, had earlier in the same press conference announced his exit from PKR to be an Independent lawmaker supporting the new Perikatan Nasional (PN) government.

Earlier today, PKR chief organising secretary Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad issued a list where 27 PKR members have either been sacked from the party or quit it following the recent political upheaval that led to a change in government.

He said they included the party’s former deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali and former vice-president Zuraida Kamaruddin who were sacked by the party’s Central Leadership Council on February 24, as well as two other members who were sacked by the council on March 1, and others, through evidence gathered on the social media, video recordings, media announcements and others.

Rashid’s name is at No. 6 on the list.