Criticise govt but leave Anwar, PKR alone, MP tells ‘gang of 4’

PKR MP Hassan Karim has urged the four former MPs who have quit the party to stop their persistent personal attacks on Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and PKR.

He said that rather than doing themselves a favour, they were helping their rivals Umno and Perikatan Nasional (PN) instead.

The two-term Pasir Gudang MP, who referred to them as the “gang of four”, said they were wrong to think that their constant attacks on Anwar and PKR would win support for Bersama in the next general election (GE16).

“By all means, criticise the government and policies that you are not happy with, as I often do. But constantly belittling Anwar and PKR is not going to help Bersama develop,” he told FMT in an interview.

He said that while such attacks could cause serious damage to PKR, they would not necessarily help Bersama.

“It’s Umno and PN that will reap the benefits of these emotional outbursts. These leaders would not be where they are today if not for PKR,” Hassan added.

The “gang of four” he was referring to are Rafizi Ramli, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, Wong Chen and Lee Chean Chung, who are now key leaders in Bersama.

Hassan, who has announced that he will not seek re-election in GE16, said gratitude was important and urged the four former PKR members not to destroy the very party that had helped develop their political careers.

He recalled that Rafizi, who now heads Bersama, had admonished him several times for speaking candidly about matters that needed attention when Rafizi was Johor PKR chief.

“Rafizi told me to refrain from being outspoken as they had a duty to protect Anwar. He was also told by the unity government parliamentary whip to caution me against being blunt in my criticisms. I accepted the advice in good faith and avoided personal criticisms,” he added.

Not a family party

Hassan said PKR is not the “Anwar family party” that many claim it is.

“It is the lead party in the unity government, which is driving the nation forward,” he said.

He added that the PKR president had at one time been ably assisted by Rafizi, whom he described as “not only brilliant but also a great strategist”.

“Yes, the party election last year did some damage when Anwar’s daughter, Nurul Izzah, wrested the deputy president’s post from Rafizi. I don’t know the intrigues behind the scenes, but Rafizi should have accepted the results in good faith.

“He should have persevered, as there were a group of us who wanted him to go for the president’s post in the next election, with Nurul Izzah retained as his deputy. This combination would have been powerful and very acceptable to the people,” he said.

This, he said, could have ensured a stronger Pakatan Harapan and a smooth transition, with Rafizi ready to take over from Anwar, who cannot remain the leader forever.

On Bersama’s future, he expects the party to play the role of a major spoiler in many urban seats and could end up winning only a couple of seats in GE16, mainly because of Rafizi’s influence.

“Honestly, Rafizi may be able to retain his Pandan seat due to his personality, but the other three must understand that they have a huge number of DAP supporters in their former constituencies. At most, they may help reduce the PH candidates’ majorities,” Hassan added.

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