PKR veep Chang says not quitting, rubbishes allegations 11 PKR MPs withdraw support for PM
KUALA LUMPUR: Two Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) MPs have denied allegations that they, along with nine others, have withdrawn their support for PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is also serving as Prime Minister.
PKR vice-president Chang Lih Kang, who is also Science, Technology and Innovation Minister, described the allegations as ridiculous.
"Rafizi (Ramli) and Nik Nazmi's (Nik Ahmad) resignations from Cabinet are out of decorum and in the spirit of democracy. Others need not sully the waters. That's all," the Tanjung Malim MP said in a Facebook late Wednesday (May 28) night.
Rumours have swirled as a result of a viral screenshot on WhatsApp and on the Facebook account of blogger Wan Muhammad Azri Wan Deris, popularly known as Papagomo, claiming that 11 PKR MPs - Rafizi (Pandan), Nik Nazmi (Setiawangsa), Chang (Tanjung Malim), Tan Kar Hing (Gopeng), Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir (Johor Baru), Wong Chen (Subang), Zahir Hassan (Wangsa Maju), Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh (Ledang), Lee Chean Chung (Petaling Jaya), Onn Abu Bakar (Batu Pahat) and Negri Sembilan Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun (Port Dickson) - have withdrawn their support for Anwar and will hold a media conference on May 30 about the matter.
Meanwhile, Tan condemned the allegations on Facebook, describing it as a malicious political slander.
"I strongly deny the allegations made by Muhammad Azri in an FB post. My stand and idealism in the struggle have not changed even with the recent party election results," he said, adding that he had obtained advice from his lawyer and did not deny the possibility of taking legal action.
Rafizi and Nik Nazmi announced their resignation as ministers effective June 17 and July 4, respectively, following their losses in the recent PKR party election, where Rafizi lost his deputy president's post to Nurul Izzah Anwar and Nik Nazmi failed in securing a vice-president's post. - Bernama

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Express
43 minutes ago
- Daily Express
Sabah PKR chief thanks PM, vows strong election push
Published on: Friday, May 30, 2025 Published on: Fri, May 30, 2025 Text Size: Sabah PKR thanked Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for his continued confidence in the party's leadership, as Datuk Mustapha Sakmud was reappointed as Chairman of the State Leadership Council (MPN). 'It's a great responsibility as we prepare for the upcoming 17th State Election,' said Mustapha, pledging to strengthen cooperation within Pakatan Harapan (PH) Sabah. He said PKR Sabah aims to uphold state rights and deliver the best outcomes for the people, while remaining committed to unity, reform, and collaboration across political lines. * Read full report in tomorrow's print paper or log in or sign up for e-paper and premium online news access. * Follow us on Instagram and join our Telegram and/or WhatsApp channel(s) for the latest news you don't want to miss. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia


Malaysian Reserve
an hour ago
- Malaysian Reserve
Friday Jottings: Giving immunity to nepotism
IT did not come as a surprise that Nurul Izzah Anwar (picture) succeeded in her quest to become Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) deputy president, ousting incumbent Rafizi Ramli. Cynics and sceptics had a field day, declaring that PKR is now a family-planned party and quipping that Madani, the government's philosophy of rule, is actually a Malay acronym that represents the triumvirate rule of mother, father and daughter. In essence, critics do not accept Nurul Izzah's political prowess as the determinant in the race for the deputy presidency, but rather to the fact that she is the daughter of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, the party president, and Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, the former president and current advisor. To them, Nurul Izzah's ascension is nepotism. Their criticisms became more acerbic, as they were of the opinion that Nurul Izzah and her family were deeply hypocritical having been extremely opposed to nepotism when they were in the Opposition. Advocates and apologists of Nurul Izzah and Anwar, however, tried to deflect the nepotism label by arguing that when the Anwar family denounced nepotism while in the Opposition, the criticism was directed at the economic gains enjoyed by the children and wives of sitting prime ministers, not political appointments. These supporters of Anwar and Nurul Izzah took their case all the way back to 1998, when Suharto was toppled by the Indonesian Reformasi (reformation) movement, whose battle cry was KKN – Korupsi, Kolusi dan Nepotisma (Corruption, Collusion and Nepotism). Anwar's and Nurul Izzah's reformasi movement adopted the Indonesian uprising wholesale, including the KKN slogan, and directed theirs criticism at Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, then PM, accusing him of favouring his children and cronies in financial and business dealings. Dr Mahathir disputed the allegations and instead revealed public documents which showed Anwar's family and close associates held substantial shares and secured other financial gains while he was the Finance Minister. Despite that, Anwar's supporters chose to ignore the revelations and continued to level accusations against Dr Mahathir. After Dr Mahathir stepped down in 2003, accusation of nepotism and cronyism re-emerged during the second term of the late Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, in particular, targeting his son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin, who became the UMNO Youth chief and was accused of having the ambition to become PM before turning 40. Apart from that, Anwar and the reformasi movement directed the nepotism and cronyism label at the infamous four 'K', the initials of Abdullah's son and alleged cronies, as well as the fourth-floor boys, referring to the young officers occupying the fourth floor of the PM's office. It didn't stop when Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Razak took over the PM's office, but this time, his wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, became a popular target, apart from Najib himself, for their alleged complicity in the scandalous 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) case. The point is that accusations of nepotism and cronyism against his political enemies have consistently been Anwar's 'weapon' of choice. In the late 1990s, nepotism was primarily defined as economic gains for the children of the PM, by the first decade of the new millennium, it had evolved into a combination of political and economic nepotism. Lest advocates of Nurul Izzah forget that, Anwar's reformasi movement was loudly denouncing nepotism when Khairy became the UMNO Youth chief despite Khairy being only the son-in-law. Hence, the justification that Anwar and the reformasi movement's battle against nepotism focused solely on economic gains within the family does not hold water. In fact, they should be more concerned about the political position as it is actually the power to commit 'economic nepotism' apart from creating a political dynasty. And if advocates and apologists of Nurul Izzah are unaware, in the history of contemporary Malaysia, there has never been a sitting PM whose children immediately succeeded him. There was Abdullah's case, and even then, Khairy was son-in-law and only made it to the UMNO Youth chief post. Dr Mahathir, much maligned by Anwar and his supporters, did not allow his children to get anywhere near the political throne. Mukhriz was a deputy minister and later became a mentri besar (MB) when Dr Mahathir retired. When he returned as the PM the second time around, Mukhriz was stuck as an MB. There were talks that Mukhriz had then wanted to request for a federal post, obviously allowing them to get closer to the throne, but Dr Mahathir never entertained the idea. After stepping down the second time, and when Anwar started to regurgitate his accusations that Dr Mahathir had favoured his children during his first tenure as PM, the latter decided not to let such accusations go unchallenged and sued Anwar for libel. The case has been pending for a few years, and to date, there has yet to be any proof shown to the public or the courts regarding Dr Mahathir's alleged crimes. Regardless, the whole episode demonstrates how much nepotism in whatever form, perceived or real, is abhorred by both Anwar and Dr Mahathir. Ironically, Dr Mahathir had upped the ante to debunk accusations of him indulging in nepotism, hence the suit against Anwar, while Anwar seems nonchalant about the accusations of him doing so with regards to Nurul Izzah becoming his heir apparent. Anwar and Nurul Izzah's supporters are bending over backwards to justify nepotism by inventing caveats and definitions of what they consider to constitute nepotism. Not to be ignored are the casualties from Anwar and Nurul Izzah's nepotistic venture, whether directly or otherwise, which led Rafizi and another minister, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, to resign their Cabinet posts. On one hand, their resignations are only proper given that they were in the Cabinet by virtue of representing their party. Now that they have lost their party posts, they cannot continue to enjoy the perks of being party members. However, the journey prior to this, Rafizi, in particular, had publicly denounced the party election process and condemned the way those on Nurul Izzah's side had ganged up to oust him. Obviously, the lead to these efforts was Anwar, though mostly implied and not stated. By that, Rafizi's resignation from the Cabinet does not equal principle. He would only be principled if he quit the party. Amid all this, nepotism is being normalised, another issue that has risen, which seems to distance Anwar further from his promised reforms – his request for legal immunity over a civil suit from his former aide. The immunity he sought has snowballed into a major controversy, diminishing his leadership credentials and unmasking him further. And yet, both he and his supporters seem as indifferent to this issue as they are to nepotism. Maybe, nepotism to them, is simply family bonding. Shamsul Akmar is an editor at The Malaysian Reserve.


Free Malaysia Today
3 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Teacher, married electrician fined RM5,000 each over attempt at immoral act
The two 31-year-olds pleaded guilty at the Melaka shariah high court over an incident that took place in February. (Facebook pic) PETALING JAYA : A secondary school teacher and a married electrician were each fined RM5,000 by the Melaka shariah high court today for attempting to commit an immoral act earlier this year. Judge Yunus Zin handed down the sentence after the two, both 31, pleaded guilty, Utusan Malaysia reported. They were charged under Section 52 of the Melaka Syariah Offences Enactment 1991. Both paid the fine. The case went viral on social media, with people sharing video clips of the man's wife confronting the teacher. Also shared were screenshots of lewd conversations on WhatsApp, said to be between the cheating pair. The scandal prompted the education ministry to temporarily suspend the teacher from her duties.