JOHOR BARU, June 23 — The exodus of as many as 50 women from Johor PKR last Sunday will not dent the party, state wing chief Napsiah Khamis said today.
Instead, Napsiah who was made the new chief on May 3 asserted in a statement that the state chapter of Wanita PKR is now stronger and “have become a role model for all women in Malaysia.”
She said the departure of Nor Ashidah Ibrahim who led dozens of others into quitting the Johor Wanita PKR was also a joke. According to Napsiah, Nor Asidah was removed as the vice-chief of Johor Wanita PKR much earlier, on March 12.
“Her dismissal has already been processed. It is funny to announce her departure several times, but this is the attitude of the traitors.
“The dissatisfaction with the central leadership is just a plain excuse when it comes to expressing their close support to (Datuk Seri) Azmin Ali and Zuraida Kamaruddin,” said Napsiah, in reference to the reason given by Nor Ashidah and former PKR members when they left to support the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government.
“They themselves do not know what they are doing. How to look after the people if they cannot be taken care of,” she added.
Napsiah challenged Nor Ashidah to name all the branch women chiefs who are alleged to have also quit PKR.
“She needs to list all the names to prove the validity of her announcement and make it easier for us to issue letters of dismissal,” she said.
Last Sunday, 50 Johor PKR women leaders, including those from the national, state and divisions, quit the party.
They claim to have made the decision willingly and without pressure after being disgruntled with the party’s leadership, and are now supporting PN.
It is understood that a majority of them were part of the “Cartel” faction in PKR who were in support of former party deputy Azmin.
Those who exited have also pledged to focus fully on supporting the non-governmental organisations such as Penggerak Komuniti Negara and Nation of Women.
The two NGOs mentioned above are linked to Azmin and Zuraida’s camp.
Johor PKR chief Syed Ibrahim Noh in an immediate comment said that such matters were normal in politics and the state PKR members were free to make their own choices.
