Elected leaders among 28 sacked from PKR for dual membership

Free Malaysia Today

11-05-2025

PKR secretary-general Fuziah Salleh said PKR only takes action against members if it is confirmed that it is not the last party they joined.
PETALING JAYA : PKR secretary-general Fuziah Salleh says a total of 28 party members, including three recently elected leaders, have been expelled for being confirmed members of other parties.
Fuziah said following the first round of election nominations at the branch level, the party's central leadership council had initially discussed and endorsed the expulsion of 36 members who had been flagged for dual party membership issues.
'Of the 36, 11 appealed and were reinstated after presenting evidence of their commitment to PKR, including letters of support and records of grassroots activity,' she told FMT.
Further disciplinary action was then taken after the division elections concluded, with three elected leaders – the Jempol and Pasir Salak division chiefs, and Besut Wanita PKR chief – being sacked after complaints were verified.
Fuziah said that in the case of Jempol, action was taken only after due diligence was completed, even though the leader had won the election. A re-election was held for the position.
She said verifying cases of dual party membership is not as straightforward as some assume, especially when evidence is lacking or timelines are unclear.
Fuziah said PKR only takes action against members if it is confirmed that PKR is not the last party they joined.
'We often receive complaints of dual or even triple membership. The first thing I always do is establish which party they last joined.
'If it's not PKR, then there are grounds for disciplinary action,' she said.
She said the party does not act against members who had joined Umno in the past but later aligned themselves with PKR, pointing to cases dating back to the 1998 Reformasi movement.
'Many followed president Anwar Ibrahim after he was sacked from Umno. Some never formally left Umno but eventually joined PKR. In those cases, it's clear where their loyalty lies,' she said.
Fuziah acknowledged the difficulty in verifying party membership records, especially when access to other parties' databases is limited.
'In some parties, we can check. Others, we can't. That's why we look for other indicators – like whether the individual holds a position or is seen actively contesting under another party's banner,' she said.
She said ordinary members are particularly hard to track and a complaint without solid proof is not enough to take action.
'For instance, if someone just appears in a photo with a Bersatu leader, that's not conclusive evidence,' she said.