SUNGAI PETANI, May 12 — The two Kedah assemblymen who left PKR today said they might join Parti Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu).
Sidam assemblyman Dr Robert Ling Kui Ee and Lunas representative Azman Nasrudin made the announcement in a press conference at Ling’s service centre in Sungai Petani around noon today.
Reading from a prepared statement, Ling said he decided to resign from PKR as he purportedly lost confidence with the party under the leadership of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
“Since he took over the leadership of the party in 2018, the situation in the party worsened, which led to discord within the party and caused a number of party leaders including Datuk Seri Azman Ali and Zuraida Kamaruddin being sacked from the party,” he said.
He said this continued when the PKR leadership suspended several members in Kedah including those from his branch.
PKR has been purging the party of those aligned with Azmin’s so-called “Cartel”.
Ling said the last straw was the suspension of his branch’s deputy chief, Firdaus Yusoff, and several Sungai Petani PKR branch committee members.
“This is as if challenging me and my comrades who have been loyal to the party all this time,” he said, adding that he had led that branch since 2014.
He then announced his immediate resignation as the PKR Sungai Petani branch chief.
“With this, I am no longer a PKR assemblyman for Sidam and am now an independent,” he said.
Azman claimed they are both mulling entry into Bersatu but could not confirm this yet.
He said they are both fully supportive of Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
He said Muhyiddin is doing a good job in leading Perikatan Nasional (PN) and the country during the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
He echoed Ling by saying he has also lost confidence in Anwar as the party leader and has decided to leave the party.
When asked if they will join PAS and Umno in Kedah to form a PN state government, they declined to comment.
Instead, they said they are supportive of Bersatu under Muhyiddin’s leadership.
There are 36 state seats in Kedah with PKR originally holding seven seats, PPBM six, Amanah four and DAP two for a total of 19 seats under the Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration.
PAS holds 15 seats while Umno holds two seats, bringing to a total 17 seats.
With the duo’s resignation, only 17 seats remain with PH.
