People’s Alternative Party founder, leaders leave party

GEORGE TOWN, Feb 27 — A total 25 People’s Alternative Party (PAP) leaders, including its founder, Zulkifli Mohd Noor, announced their decision to resign from the party today.

Zulkifli said another group of party leaders had sabotaged the party that he had founded as a platform for its multiracial members.

“I am not saddened by this turn of events but I am disappointed that this platform I created for the multiracial society was sabotaged by a certain race,” he said in a press conference today.

The 25 members, who resigned from the party, were initially going to contest in the 14th general elections (GE14) but will no longer contest under PAP following their resignations.

“It is now too late for us to set up a new party and we have not decided whether we will contest in the elections but we will definitely continue with our mission to serve the people,” he said.

Zulkifli added that some PAP candidates from Kedah, Perak, Selangor, Malacca, Negri Sembilan and Johor will also be leaving the party.

“Members have lost confidence with the party after a new central executive committee (CEC) was formed by the former party secretary,” he claimed.

He said the party’s former secretary was dismissed from the party due to a disciplinary issue.

Zulkifli, who was the party’s former president, said the former secretary was dismissed during the fourth CEC meeting and a new secretary was appointed in the fifth CEC meeting.

He claimed that the former secretary had secretly formed a new committee and submitted the list to the Registrar of Societies (RoS).

“RoS ordered for a new CEC elections be held as both committees were considered invalid,” he said.

He said the CEC re-elections were held on January 24.

“It is extremely disappointing that the former secretary had campaigned to take over the party that is now monopolised by a single race,” he said.

He said the PAP party constitution clearly stated that it is a multiracial party and yet now, 90 per cent of the new CEC lineup is made up of only one race.

Zulkifli founded PAP as an alternative to Pakatan Harapan after he left DAP as a vice chairman.

Other CEC leaders who left the party include Vice President Lim Tow Leang, Deputy President Angeline Ong, Organisation secretary Rahmad Isahak, treasurer Zulinda Zulkifli and assistant Secretary General 2 Noor Mohamed.