Don’t speculate on PKR’s sec-gen post, says Azmin

PKR deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali today called for an end to speculation and slander about the position of party secretary-general, Rafizi Ramli, who is said to be in danger of losing the post amid disagreement within the party about the timing of Pakatan Harapan's formation. Azmin said people should not speculate untruths and cited the recent charging of former Malacca chief minister Tan Sri Rahim Thamby Chik with sedition over a Facebook post in which he alleged that the Selangor crown prince had become an apostate. "If something is not true, why speculate? Don't entertain speculation and slander. For these reasons, Tan Sri Rahim Thamby Chik had stern action taken against him," Azmin told reporters today at a ground breaking ceremony for upgrading works at a mosque in Gombak, Selangor. Azmin, who is also Selangor Menteri Besar, was asked to about friction within PKR over the forming of new opposition pact Pakatan Harapan, and talk that one faction in the party was unhappy with Rafizi over the matter. The disagreement over Pakatan Harapan centers on whether opposition parties should continue engaging the Islamist party PAS, or proceed to form a new pact without it. Pakatan Harapan now consists of PKR, DAP and Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah), a PAS splinter party. The Malaysian Insider today reported party sources saying that the discord could potentially see Rafizi lose his post as secretary-general. An emergency meeting of the party's supreme council this Sunday is expected to discuss the issue, as well as a petition by 25 council members who were unhappy with the hasty formation of Pakatan Harapan, which was unveiled on September 22 after a roundtable discussion between opposition parties, minus PAS, and civil society organisations. Rafizi had previously told The Malaysian Insider that PKR had two schools of thought over the new opposition pact, with one group wanting more time to engage PAS, while the other was adamant that a new coalition had to be formed as quickly possible. Azmin today said that PKR remained intact and strong and denied any talk of internal strife. – October 9, 2015.