The Padang Serai MP called on the party’s central election committee to immediately step in to stop what he described as meddling in the party’s fractious divisional elections, before adding that he would quit if they failed to meet his demand.
“Today, I am coming out with the statement to ask the committee to immediately solve all problems pertaining to the divisional elections. I want them to be fair, transparent and neutral to all.
“If this continues, then there is no point staying. If the elections can be manipulated by individuals in this way.
“For the past 11 years, I have stood firm with the party, this is the first time I am standing in front a camera to say this. They can call me a traitor or a Trojan (horse) but I will stand strong.... but if this continues, I do not think I should stay,” he told reporters in Parliament today.
Gobalakrishnan pointed to the fracas during the Subang divisional elections when vice-president R. Sivarasa failed to retain his post as Subang PKR chief.
“But now we have our friend from Subang (newly-elected Subang PKR deputy chief) V. Sivam who was suddenly ... suspended pending disciplinary action.
“The decision was made without even calling for a supreme council meeting or informing the supreme council, and I believe that the decision was made by a few people who are there to save Sivarasa who lost,” he said.
Shortly after polling for the party’s 205 divisions closed on October 3, the party announced that a total of nine divisional elections had been suspended, including Subang, apparently due to disruptions and technical errors.
The other divisions were Kuala Nerus, Jerai, Merbok, Petaling Jaya Selatan, Hulu Selangor, Klang, Kapar and Kuala Langat.
Sivam, along with the newly-elected Subang chief Muhammad Najmi Samsudin, have now been suspended and barred from contesting for any posts when the Subang PKR elections are held again after the party’s congress in November.
“I believe the election committee has failed. I am urging them to buck up and clear all these cases before the party’s national elections, or disband themselves and postpone the national elections for a month or two to be fair to everyone,” said Gobalakrishnan.
He also cried foul over the October 10 deadline for the submission of nomination lists for the party’s top leadership polls, claiming that there was no such circular issued by the party.
“I am a supreme council member. There were no circulars that there is a deadline for nominations to be submitted by the 10th of this month,” he claimed.
Gobalakrishnan also complained that when he spoke to PKR election officer Radin Shamsulkamar Radin Shamsudin, the latter informed him that he would accommodate his Padang Serai division although it had failed to meet the deadline.
“He told me he can accept it and I can fax over the list to him. I told him it is not about my division, it is about all. I want him to be fair. Who is he to come up with this to say that he can accept some and not all?” he said.
The lawmaker then pointed to the case of Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar who had apparently failed to make the cut to contest for deputy presidency.
When the nominations closed, Nurul Izzah, who had initially received four nominations, was claimed to have only received one and that the other divisions who nominated her had failed to make the October 10 deadline.
“It is very undemocratic where a few people are teaming up like a cartel to deny justice and bring a bad image to the party.
“Nurul Izzah has been here since the party was formed and I believe one day, we will make her the president. I am very angry that someone who has been qualified has been denied the right — whether she contests or not is another matter.
“I believe there is hidden hand in this,” he said.
The PKR political bureau today announced that it would be accepting a late nomination for Nurul Izzah to contest the party’s deputy presidency, giving her the two necessary to qualify.
Gobalakrishnan singled out Azmin as the likely protagonist behind the purported “hidden hand” and expressed anger at how the deputy president-hopeful had allegedly disparaged him after the Kemaman PKR elections.
“But for the sake of the party, I stood firm. Although there has been manipulation by Azmin all the while against me. Azmin has been manipulating and I believe he is doing it in this election, too,” he said.
He charged Azmin with always “using” PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and accused him of running the party “like his own company”.
“I know the party can take action against me but democracy is more important,” he said.
When asked later to explain his threat to leave the party, Gobalakrishnan said, “What I said is this, I do not want the party to go to that level. That, I think we talk later.”
