JOHOR BARU, Sept 20 — Johor PKR chairman Hassan Abdul Karim has appealed to all members to put aside factional rivalries and unite for the upcoming party elections.

“It is important that PKR members from Johor’s many divisions and branches refrain from open conflict and instead show professionalism in carrying out their duties during the party election on September 30,” he said when contacted by Malay Mail today.

Hassan admitted that PKR members in Johor are split into several factions and camps.

He said a show of unity was important for the party as PKR in Johor has just been given a big boost with a substantial enrolment of new members.

“We should not be seen as a party that accommodates factional interests and various political groups because we are so certain that we are coming to power.

“I believe our party leaders, such as PKR president-elect Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, want us to keep the party united to face the coming election,” said Hassan.

The 67-year-old Pasir Gudang MP also reminded all state members that Johor PKR was currently a top three state in Malaysia in terms of PKR member strength.

“As a Pakatan Harapan (PH) component party, PKR also secured seven out of 18 PH parliamentary seats in Johor.

“This is a far cry from past general elections where PKR had always struggled in Johor,” he said.

On the promotion of different leaders at the division level by different factions, Hassan said there was no restrictions on such matters.

He said PKR is a democratic party and every member was free to choose the leader that they supported.

“Yes, we may have our favourite party leaders, but it can be a personal thing and not something to promote internal conflict within the state PKR,” said Hassan.

Meanwhile, Johor PKR deputy chairman Jimmy Puah Wee Tse also echoed Hassan’s stand on the matter.

“Johor PKR has always stood on neutral ground and we refuse to be dragged into national party conflicts.

“This way, we can accommodate all party members irrespective of their stand,” he said.

With PKR’s strong presence in Johor after the May 9 general election, the state party has seen several divisions divided into two main factions.

With the coming PKR elections, the battle between two party factions led by Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali and Rafizi Ramli will see both lock horns over the deputy presidency post.

The PKR party elections will run for nine weeks beginning Saturday.

Over 900,000 PKR members will be eligible to vote in the party polls through an electronic balloting system.