Decision on Sabah PKR leadership

Kota Kinabalu: Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) advisor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said it would decide at the end of the month whether to appoint a new State committee or retain the existing one.

Pending a decision, State Liaison Chief Ansari Abdullah would continue working until his term ends next week. The State committee's term would end on Nov 30, the day the party's national congress would be held.

"We asked him (Ansari) to continue until his term ends," Anwar said, Saturday, at the end of the party's two-day State convention at the Tuaran Beach Resort.

It was reported that Ansari had resigned from his position and there were also rumours of him leaving the party.

However, Ansari denied this, saying that he did tender a resignation letter to the central leadership but has not received any response.

Anwar said the party does not have any leadership crisis at the State-level.

"This is a democratic party so it is normal to have a discussion, disagreement and so on. To me it is not a crisis when you disagree. I also have many things which I disagreed with Christina Liew (PKR Sabah Deputy Liaison Chairperson)," he said, adding he is satisfied with the performance of the PKR leaders at the State-level.

"As long as it does not affect the performance of the party I think I do not have to worry so much," he said, complementing the media in Sabah which he felt was providing a much better and fair political coverage than in the peninsula.

Meanwhile, Anwar, who met Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) President and party leaders said they discussed among other things, issues and policies of common interest.

Anwar said SAPP leaders had also been invited to observe the PKR's national congress in Shah Alam. Asked whether SAPP had been invited to join Pakatan Rakyat, Anwar told a press conference at Jesselton Hotel later:

"We have not gone to that stage yet because our position is, we discuss issues first."

Others present included Ansari, Vice President Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan, SAPP President Datuk Yong Teck Lee, Deputy Presidents Datuk Eric Majimbun and Datuk Liew Teck Chan as well as other senior leaders.

"SAPP are closer to us, although they are not part of Pakatan Rakyat yet.

During the meeting we discussed issues of the State, policies of the BN government and apparently there is a clear consensus among us," he said.

He said they discussed issues, policies and principles which he considered important and "unlike our experience in BN where people come in out of expediency negotiating about position and so on.

"But here we will stick to a clear principle on the policies, what is the position regarding representation, royalty, compassionate issues of religion and race, economic policies. I think these are pertinent. So we have spent time deliberating on that."

In terms of policies, Anwar said it had to do to with for example how they view the participation of Sabah, the representation, policies and in dealing with multi-cultural and multi-ethnic issues in Malaysia and their position regarding the implementation of the New Economic Policy (NEP).

"All these things need to be shared between us and SAPP," he said.

"I have invited the two MPs of SAPP to join in the parliamentary caucuses.

We have representation in some of the caucuses like in the integrity of judiciary which is led by Karpal Singh and participated by us and others," he said.

ANWAR said Pakatan Rakyat is currently trying a new concept whereby all leaders of the parties under the pact, including Members of Parliament and state excos, meet every week to articulate on issues and debate them.

"We also have regular Tuesday night meetings of all the Pakatan Rakyat MPs to articulate on issues and debate them out. We want to exercise a new collusive coalition where we discuss issues. We do not want to be like the Umno-BN experience where whenever somebody dictates everyone agrees," he said.

It involves second-line leaders like the MPs and state excos, he said, adding to him it is a very important experience because apart from politics "we are also building a multiracial coalition, learning to work and ensure an effective coalition building."

"This is something unique which Umno has never done. Probably the only time was when I was still a Youth leader where we have a Youth work camp involving all the parties É but here we have it continuously every Tuesday night," he said.

On the media report quoting Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Shahrir Samad as saying the people are now subsidising the Government, Anwar said:

"I have said it consistently right before the election, although the mainstream media attacked me ferociously .... when the oil price was hovering around US$100 I have said that the fuel price must be brought down by RM2 É now the price is US$M50, it must be brought down."

If they said they maintained that the price is contingent upon the international market price, then the price must be much lower now to ease the burden of the people, he said, asking why the Government is pressuring the people to pay an additional tax or subsidy to the Government, (because) it should be a win-win situation.

"You allow the people to have a fair price, the Government will reap a lot of benefits because of revenues from petroleum. There are a lot of revenues like from the taxes, royalties and so on.

"That has been our understanding all along. If you say it is a burden to subsidise the people, is it not a burden to the people to subsidise the Government?

"The best solution is to allow the market mechanism to work," he said.

DAILY EXPRESS NEWS
Sabah
23/11/08