KUALA LUMPUR, April 26 — Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali will be able to keep his position despite contesting the 14th general election (GE14), the pro-Bumiputera group said today.
Perkasa deputy president Datuk Sirajuddin Salleh said this was decided during the Perkasa supreme council’s urgent meeting that was chaired by Ibrahim last night.
“The president intended to relinquish his position as he will contest GE14 but the supreme council members unanimously agreed they wanted Datuk Ibrahim Ali to continue and remain as president as he will be contesting as an independent candidate and does not need to relinquish his position,” he said in a statement today.
The Perkasa supreme council unanimously agreed and backed Ibrahim’s decision to contest as an independent candidate in both the Pasir Mas parliamentary seat and Tendong state seat in Kelantan, Sirajuddin said.
The group’s supreme council also agreed with Ibrahim’s proposal for two of Perkasa’s senior leaders to contest with him as a team and as independent candidates in two other state seats in Kelantan: Meranti and Pengkalan Pasir.
The Perkasa supreme council also decided last night that the non-governmental organisation will be “neutral” and not side with any political parties that will contest GE14, he said.
In outlining the limits of Perkasa members’ involvement in GE14, Sirajuddin said it was decided that all Perkasa leaders and members can attend and be involved in GE14 campaign programmes either in their personal capacity or as members of a political party.
“Perkasa leaders and members are prohibited from following any GE14 campaigns of any political parties using Perkasa’s name and cannot wear clothing with Perkasa’s logo and name in any programmes organised by contesting political parties.
“Perkasa leaders at the state and parliamentary level are prohibited from making statements that support any political party contesting in GE14,” he added.
While saying that Perkasa members nationwide are free to make their own choices when voting, Perkasa supreme council members urged that they choose candidates that they feel are better and “capable of defending and strengthening Islam and Bumiputera,” Sirajuddin said.
