PKR sacked some 11,000 members aligned to its former deputy president Azmin Ali following the Sheraton Move which saw the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government two years ago.
Secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said PKR’s disciplinary board was forced to work “harder” to rid the party of individuals who had been working hand-in-glove with “traitors”.
“We lost senior leaders and gave 11,000 members the boot. It was a necessary action to take, but it had a huge impact on the party,” he said in a televised interview yesterday.
“Members are an asset to the party because it’s difficult to identify and train the right people when they join PKR. A lot of them took many risks to join the party as well.
“So, you can imagine the impact on the party when a large number of members are removed.”
He added that the party’s Central Leadership Council decided at the time that those who were part of the group of senior leaders who jumped ship would be automatically sacked.
Commenting on the party polls, which are scheduled to be held in May, Saifuddin said PKR decided to do so to fill key posts left vacant by defectors in order to be better prepared for the 15th general election (GE15).
Meanwhile, Saifuddin will battle PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli, who announced his return to active politics last week, for the party’s No. 2 post.
In the last PKR polls in 2018, Rafizi challenged Azmin for the same post and lost narrowly despite the latter being a minister in the then PH government. – FMT