PETALING JAYA: Fifteen PKR division leaders in Sabah are seeking a meeting with party president Anwar Ibrahim to explain why the head of the state chapter, Sangkar Rasam, should be replaced.
One of the divisional leaders told FMT that they want to explain their point of view to Anwar, claiming that Sangkar has been weak in leading Sabah PKR.
He said they plan to meet the PKR president before the central leadership council convenes on Sunday to discuss the political turmoil in the Bornean state.
“We want to meet the president to explain in detail why Sangkar needs to be replaced,” he said, warning that PKR could lose its two traditional seats of Inanam and Api-Api if the state chief is not changed.
“Sangkar’s refusal to step down puts PKR at risk of being wiped out at the coming state election, including in (the PKR strongholds of) Inanam and Api-Api.
“One blatant weakness of Sangkar’s is his non-existent relationship with the state government.
“He has no sense of leadership. Even his ties with many division leaders aren’t good because he broke his promise to help them if he was made state chairman. He only helps leaders close to him,” he claimed.
Meanwhile, Pensiangan PKR chief Raymond Ahuar said more than 15 of the 26 division leaders in Sabah were unhappy with Sangkar.
While only 15 division heads have signed statutory declarations stating their rejection of Sangkar, he said only seven of the 11 other divisional leaders were really loyal to the state PKR chief.
“Four other leaders chose to abstain. So what is the basis to Sangkar’s claim that (he still enjoys grassroots support)?”
At a press conference in Kota Kinabalu on Sunday, Kota Marudu PKR chief Sazalye Donol said 15 division heads had called for Sangkar to step down as state chairman.
They walked out on a state leadership meeting after expressing their unhappiness over Sangkar’s leadership.
Sangkar later shot down calls for his resignation, saying that criticism of his leadership had affected the chapter’s plans for the next state election.
PKR is set to discuss the issue when the central leadership council meets this Sunday, with Anwar expected to chair the meeting.
