KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 29 — Former PKR Sabah Chief Azmin Ali said today he was not surprised that Jeffrey Kitingan had resigned as PKR vice-president and as a member of the supreme council
Azmin (picture) pointed out that the strength of the party was not from a few individuals but from the support of voters.
“I do not agree if the strength is dependent on any individual. When I was leading Sabah, I was inclined to recognise new faces among the new generation who are committed to the party and this was certain to disturb certain individuals who have been there for a long time.
"But my principle is not to defend any individuals but to strengthen the party so that the support base can be larger. So I needed the new generation to support Keadilan,” he told reporters in Parliament.
PKR chieftains in Sabah and Sarawak were in open revolt recently and were demanding that local leaders be appointed to head the party.
In Sabah, factions aligned to the appointed party vice-president Jeffrey Kitingan had launched a mutiny against Azmin by submitting a memorandum which, among other matters, claimed that Azmin had under-performed.
Ahmad Thamrin Jai has now been appointed the new Sabah chief, replacing Azmin.
Azmin was reappointed as party chief for Federal Territory.
He said today that the people of Sabah were politically mature and ready to lead their own state.
“Jeffrey has not been long in any party so I appreciate any contribution from any individual but the party must grow and move on. So how do you move on when you take the decision not to expand the base of the party?” He asked.
Azmin said that during his tenure as Sabah chief, he emphasised the importance of new leaders from the younger generation to increase the party’s support base.
“I saw the emergence of younger leaders as very good and this caused some leaders who are old and have been there for a long time to feel their position was in jeopardy. So that is not my problem,” he said.
PKR president Datuk Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail today acknowledged that the party was facing difficulties but promised to continue with its struggle.
The admission was made in response to the protest over the appointment of the new Sabah PKR chief, Ahmad Thamrin Jai.
The protest has resulted in the resignation of two Sabahan leaders, vice-president Kitingan and supreme council member Christina Liew.
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