BATU PAHAT, July 19 — A group representing Johor PKR division chiefs and grassroots leaders has urged party president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to act firmly against party members found involved in any conspiracy which could undermine the party.

Its spokesman and Kluang PKR chief Mark Mathew said the time had come for Anwar to act to unite all members and put a stop to attempts by certain individuals to damage the party.

He expressed regret over the action of several party members who have been arrested by police in connection with a viral sex video implicating PKR deputy president Datuk Seri Azmin Ali.

“We reject this slander just as we rejected the slander hurled against Anwar twice before involving the sodomy and China Doll cases,” he told a press conference here today.

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Mark said such gutter politics should be totally rejected because now was the time to concentrate on building the country and fulfilling the pledges in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) election manifesto.

Azmin has vehemently denied allegations linking him to the video, and the police have said the facial recognition process undertaken as part of the investigation could not positively identify the two men in the video.

In Putrajaya, PKR secretary-general Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said party vice-president Zuraida Kamaruddin should use the PKR retreat starting tonight in Port Dickson to share her views on problems affecting the party.

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“Zuraida is a senior party leader and a participant at the retreat. If she said there are cracks (within PKR), let’s hear her arguments.

“That is better than making (media) statements daily, which does not help the situation,” he told reporters after launching the Food Bank Malaysia Programme @ Pasar Tani here today.

Saifuddin Nasution said this when asked to comment on Zuraida’s statement that cracks had appeared in PKR following the circulation of the sex video.

Meanwhile, Parti Amanah Negara communications director Khalid Abd Samad said he believed that the spat between leaders in PKR would not adversely affect the PH government.

“The question of squabbles in PKR is not new; it has happened before but did not prevent us from achieving success in the 14th general election,” Khalid, who is Federal Territories Minister, told reporters after witnessing the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Federal Territory Sports Council and Federal Territory Foundation in Putrajaya today. — Bernama