PKR today called N. Gobalakrishnan “racist” and accepted the Padang Serai MP’s exit from the party.
Gobalakrishnan quit PKR last Saturday, citing dissatisfaction with the party leadership, especially de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
“Leaders who are trapped in the old racist mindset are not suitable to be in Keadilan, which is a progressive multi-racial party,” PKR communications director Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad told reporters today.
“Padang Serai MP N. Gobalakrishnan...has repeatedly accused Keadilan of marginalising the Indian community. Many Keadilan leaders have responded to Gobala specifically and proven his accusation wrong,” he added.
Nik Nazmi pointed that Gobalakrishnan’s accusations emerged after his failed vice-presidency bid.
Anwar said last Sunday that he anticipated the exit for some time.
Gobalakrishnan is the sixth MP to quit PKR in over a year.
The Padang Serai MP said that he would now focus on issues like poverty eradication and preserving places of worship through a new NGO, after months of criticising party leaders.
Anwar also confirmed that Gobalakrishnan never responded to the show-cause letter issued to him.
PKR had earlier this month slapped the Gobalakrishnan with a show-cause letter over his attacks against the party leadership.
Nik Nazmi said today that the party had yet to receive Gobalakrishnan's formal resignation letter.
Gobalakrishnan, the former MIC Youth leader, in recent times has dropped scathing remarks of Anwar and deputy president Azmin Ali on Twitter, accusing them of corruption.
PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said recently confirmed Gobalakrishnan’s hearing following his non-compliance to a January 17 deadline to a show-cause letter, issued on the last day of 2010.
Gobalakrishnan had declared that he would not respond to the letter.
The vocal MP kicked off his tirade against the Anwar-Azmin leadership during the party’s elections last year, which he complained had been fraught with irregularities.
He later took his fight to Twitter and for much of December last year, dedicated his timeline space to criticisms against Anwar and Azmin.
Among others, Gobalakrishnan has accused both men of failing to protect the interests of the Indian community, and for ignoring the needs and requests of many party loyalists.
Nik Nazmi today refuted Gobalakrishnan's accusations of racism against party leaders.
"The reality is that the vast majority of Keadilan leadership is elected through the one-member one-vote system and the members have placed ability, capability and commitment to the struggle above racial considerations," said the Seri Setia assemblyman.
Nik Nazmi said that Indians comprised 12 per cent of the party's central leadership council, while Malays made up 62 per cent, Chinese 20 per cent, and Sabah and Sarawak Bumiputra and others 4 per cent.
Gobalakrishnan has also continually taunted Anwar for “failing to walk the talk”, claiming that the veteran leader’s only ambition was to take over Putrajaya and ensure a cushy position for Azmin.
Gobalakrishnan joins several other leaders who have also left the party ranks citing loss of confidence in the leadership.
They include Kita president Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, Bayan Baru MP Datuk Seri Zahrain Hashim, Nibong Tebal MP Tan Tee Beng, Wangsa Maju MP Wee Choo Keong, and Bagan Serai MP Mohsin Samsuri.
Another MP, Kulim-Bandar Baharu’s Zulkifli Noordin, as with Gobalakrishnan also from Kedah, was sacked from PKR after he faced the disciplinary board last year for crossing swords with the leadership over the “Allah” row.
PKR now has 24 seats in Parliament, a drop from 31 seats won in the 2008 general election
