A Parti Keadilan Rakyat leader in Sabah Rahimah Majid warned Anwar Ibrahim, the party leader and Prime Minister in waiting the party is risking oblivion if mudslinging between members is not curbed.
However, the party leader voiced her support to Ampang, Selangor Member of Parliament and party x vice-president Zuraida Kamaruddin. This expands Azmin’s support within the party and is seen as weakening Anwar’s grip.
Zuraida, known as an ally of Azmin Ali, the Minister of Economic Affair, taunted Anwar by saying if she was the party president she would sack the man who accused Azmin of having gay sex with him.
A series of videos circulating in Malaysia shows two men one resembling a party member from Sarawak Haziq Abdullah and the other resembling Azmin.
The party has decided to serve Haziq with a show cause letter and is waiting for police investigation to be completed to decide on Azmin’s fate.
The Sabah woman chief says Anwar’s party faces extinction if Anwar Ibrahim does not impose a gag order against the mudslinging infesting the main ruling coalition partner in the Pakatan Harapan government.
Azmin is rumoured to have the support of 20 MP’s from the party who is willing to follow him to jump to Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s party Bersatu.
A statement issued by the Rahimah, the Sabah woman head, is an unprecedented step taken by Azmin’s supporters to back him while in the same time, they are challenging Anwar’s leadership, says analysts.
The analysts points out that Zuraida has also issued an official statement using the party letterhead to condemn Haziq and show support for Azmin.
The analysts say the rot goes deeper in the PKR where factions are fighting for power in a definite sign there is more to the video scandal than thought.
“Rahimah says her statement does not question the party president’s (Anwar) credibility, and that she wants to protect the party from being ruined by internal squabbles induced by certain unscrupulous individuals with selfish agendas.
“However, she supports an open squabble by an MP known as an Azmin ally and anti-Anwar person within the PKR?” says an analyst.