Cracks do exist in Kedah Pakatan, says PKR exco

By Athi Shankar - Free Malaysia Today

ALOR STAR: A PKR legislator made a startling revelation over the weekend that non-PAS elected reps are upset over the way things are being run in the Kedah administration.
State executive councillor and Kulim assemblyman Lim Soo Nee (photo) admitted that he and two other colleagues from PKR and another from DAP were frustrated that their contributions were not being valued and appreciated..
“There were many times that we felt our presence and participation in the state government was not given due consideration and respect.
“We were aggrieved by the ignorance and negligence of the state government,” Lim told a Pakatan rally in Kota Sarang Semut, about 15km from here, on Saturday night.
FMT reported last Tuesday that discontentment among non-PAS legislator was a reality in the Kedah administration.
The other unhappy PKR reps are Sidam’s Tan Joon Long @ Tan Chow Kang and Bukit Selambau’s S Manikumar, and all executive councillors in the PAS led-state government. DAP’s sole legislator is Kota Darul Aman’s Lee Guang Aik.
Saturday night's four-hour rally (photo, right) was held at the state PAS headquarters. It was a show of strength and solidarity that all was well within Pakatan.
In recent months, Menteri Besar Azizan Abdul Razak’s government has been rocked by rumours of defections and imminent collapse.
Lim, however, assured that despite the grievances, the four non-PAS representatives would not defect.
“I will not hop. I will continue my political struggle for the people by staying in PKR,” said to Lim to thunderous applause from a mammoth crowd.
Tan, Manikumar and Lee spoke at the rally and pledged loyalty to their respective parties and to the coalition, putting paid to rumours of defection, at least for the time being.
Lim nonetheless called on the PKR leadership and the Pakatan state government to conduct respective post-mortems on the exodus of representatives from Pakatan.
PKR rocked by defections
He said that Pakatan leaders should review their leadership style and also on whether the coalition’s common policy framework was working out.
“We should not always blame others for such defections. We must identify weaknesses and mistakes, and find ways to overcome them,” said Lim.
PKR has been rocked by defections since early last year.
In Kedah, two PKR representatives – Mohammad Radzhi Salleh (Lunas) and Tan Wei Shu (Bakar Arang) – quit to become independent assemblymen aligned to BN.
Others who quit were Perak assemblymen Mohd Osman Jailu (Changkat Jering) and Jamaluddin Mat Radzi (Behrang); Port Klang assemblyman Badrul Hisham Abdullah; and MPs Zahrain Mohd Hashim (Bayan Baru), Tan Tee Beng (Nibong Tebal), Mohsin Fadzli Samsuri (Bagan Serai) and recently Wee Chee Keong (Wangsa Maju).
Kulim Bandar Baru MP Zulkifli Noordin also became an independent after he was sacked by PKR.
Apart from the elected representatives, former PKR secretary-general Salehuddin Hashim and former Penang deputy chief minister I Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin also left the party.
DAP has one defector, Jelapang assemblywoman Hee Yit Foong in Perak, while PAS has none.
Azizan (photo, centre), also the PAS state commissioner, said that grievances and problems do exist in any administration, and added that he would tackle them.
“Lim has been open with his speech. We will deliberate on the issue and work out solutions,” he told a post-rally press conference.
PKR state chief and Kuala Kedah MP Ahmad Kassim said the party would work with the state government to ensure a smooth running of the administration.