Khalid refused to meet PKR president for ‘weeks’, disciplinary chair says

PUTRAJAYA, Aug 28 — Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim rebuffed PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail’s repeated requests over three weeks to meet him for tea to resolve the Selangor mentri besar crisis before he was finally sacked, the party’s disciplinary board chairman Datuk Dr Tan Kee Kwong said today.

Dr Tan, who was interviewed by the Registrar of Societies (RoS) here today over Khalid’s complaint on his sacking, also insisted that the sacking of the Selangor mentri besar from PKR on August 9 was done properly.

“As far as the disciplinary board and the party central leadership council is concerned, as far as we are concerned, there was no misconduct,” Dr Tan told reporters after the one-and-a-half interview at the RoS office here.

“Our party president called him, for three weeks, to come and sit down, talk, have a cup of tea, but he said he had no time,” he added.

Dr Tan also questioned Khalid’s complaint over his expulsion, pointing out that Khalid’s lawyers from Bon Advocates had sent PKR a letter dated August 10 about the incumbent MB’s acceptance of the party’s decision to sack him.

“The letter states, ‘Our client has little choice but to accept PKR’s decision and to move on’. That means, clearly after getting legal advice, he accepts the decision,” said Dr Tan.

The PKR disciplinary board chief also pointed out that party secretary-general Datuk Saifuddin Nasution Ismail had said, in his termination letter to Khalid, that the MB could appeal against his sacking within 14 days.

“As of today, I’m unaware of any appeal by Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim,” said Dr Tan.

He also said the party disciplinary board comprised 13 members, including himself, which was in accordance with the party constitution that requires at least six members, besides the chair.

Khalid filed a formal complaint on August 14 with the RoS against his allegedly “flawed and illegal” sacking from PKR.

According to Khalid’s lawyer New Sin Yew, the Selangor MB contends that PKR had breached its own party constitution when it ordered his sacking without stating who among the disciplinary board had conducted the hearing against him and who decided he should go.

Citing Section 13 (1)(centre)(iv) of the Societies Act 1966, New said the RoS can deregister PKR if the party’s constitution was intentionally breached — either by the central leadership council or its disciplinary board.

Dr Tan said today that the issue of de-registering PKR was not raised at his interview with the RoS.

PKR’s disciplinary committee had decided to expel Khalid ostensibly for his open defiance of the party’s decision that he must step down as the Selangor mentri besar to make way for PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.