Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said today PKR was losing more support with many of its leaders and supporters leaving the party. Muhyiddin, who is Umno deputy president, said the people were beginning to realise that the party only championed certain individuals and did not bring benefit to the people. "Many leaders who support PKR have begun to lose confidence. The party no longer struggles for the people but for individuals," he told reporters after launching the national-level Teachers Day celebrations at Universiti Malaysia Pahang. Muhyiddin was asked to comment on the departure of many leaders and supporters from the party of late. Yesterday, the Ipoh Barat PKR Branch was reportedly dissolved after 19 of its 25 committee members resigned. The deputy prime minister said PKR should dissolve and its leaders and supporters should switch their support to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.
Wee quits PKR, finally
Wangsa Maju member of parliament Wee Choo Keong has quit PKR and declared himself an independent MP.
In a hastily-arranged press conference at his Wangsa Maju service centre, Wee said his decision takes effect from today.
Wee said he has quit all party posts, including that of Federal Territories PKR deputy chief.
With this, PKR now has 25 seats in the Dewan Rakyat, down from 31 after the March 2008 general elections.
BN will need another four defections to reclaim its much coveted two-thirds majority in Parliament.
The magic figure for the ruling coalition is 148, and it will be able to achieve this with its existing 138 seats along with the support of six BN-friendly independents plus another four.
Wee told reporters today that he had resigned because of the way the party and the Pakatan Rakyat Selangor government had handled the scandal involving a state-owned mining company Kuala Semesta Sdn Bhd (KSSB).
“The statement made by the company in the media asking Kapar MP S Manikavasagam to apologise was the last straw that broke the camel's back. I am making this statement with a very heavy heart. I can no longer remain in PKR, I can no longer pretend,” he told reporters at a press conference held in his office here.
He added that the statement made by KSSB clearly shows that the Selangor government is seeking to gag Manickavasagam and to intimidate him.
Wee also said he was disappointed with the PKR leadership for "covering up" the issue.
However, he said that he would not be vacating his seat as a lawmaker.
“I will however continue to serve as an independent MP. There is no reason for me to resign. I will still take care of my constituents and I will carry on, to speak up against the wrong whether it is from this side or that side. Nation-building must come first and my duty is for the people,” he said.
However, Wee kept mum when pressed on if other PKR MPs were planning on leaving the party, but he admitted that many of his compatriots have been unhappy with the party leadership.
“ What I do know is that there are many party members who are unhappy with the way things are happening in the party. As for me, I had had enough of the double talk, double standards, nepotism, cronyism and most of all, the activities of the little Napoleons,” he said.
He, however, declined to name the “little Napoleons”.
His resignation comes three weeks after denying rumours that he was expected to leave the party.
In a strongly-worded press statement aimed at Malaysiakini, the lawyer had late last month accused the news portal of erroneous reporting.
Wee also claimed that it was the "little Napoleons" in PKR who have been feeding inaccurate information about him to the media to give the impression that he was to defect.
"Malaysiakini should wake up and not be made a fool of by irresponsible and insecure persons," he said.
Colleague Manikavasagam 'surprised'
His compatriot and well-known supporter Kapar MP S Manikavasagam expressed shock when contacted by Malaysiakini for comments.
"He has resigned? I really didn't know anything about it," said the MP.
Sounding upset, Manikavasagam, who spearheaded the allegation of corruption in the sand-mining issue, said: "No, no, no. He should stay on and fight with me."
Adding that Wee was one of his strongest supporter in Manikavasagam's cause, he refused to comment further.
"I have to call Wee first. I cannot comment now."
Meanwhile, when met at the DAP operation room in Sibu, party supremo Lim Kit Siang also declined to comment on the matter.
"I think it is no surprise," he said.
Wee is former DAP parliamentarian for Bukit Bintang. However he was sacked from DAP in 1998 for participating in the 'Kick Out Kit Siang' (KOKS) campaign. Wee went on to form the Malaysian Democratic Party.
In 2008, he was invited by Anwar Ibrahim to join PKR and went on to contest the Wangsa Maju constitue
In a hastily-arranged press conference at his Wangsa Maju service centre, Wee said his decision takes effect from today.Wee said he has quit all party posts, including that of Federal Territories PKR deputy chief.
With this, PKR now has 25 seats in the Dewan Rakyat, down from 31 after the March 2008 general elections.
BN will need another four defections to reclaim its much coveted two-thirds majority in Parliament.
The magic figure for the ruling coalition is 148, and it will be able to achieve this with its existing 138 seats along with the support of six BN-friendly independents plus another four.
Wee told reporters today that he had resigned because of the way the party and the Pakatan Rakyat Selangor government had handled the scandal involving a state-owned mining company Kuala Semesta Sdn Bhd (KSSB).
“The statement made by the company in the media asking Kapar MP S Manikavasagam to apologise was the last straw that broke the camel's back. I am making this statement with a very heavy heart. I can no longer remain in PKR, I can no longer pretend,” he told reporters at a press conference held in his office here.He added that the statement made by KSSB clearly shows that the Selangor government is seeking to gag Manickavasagam and to intimidate him.
Wee also said he was disappointed with the PKR leadership for "covering up" the issue.
However, he said that he would not be vacating his seat as a lawmaker.
“I will however continue to serve as an independent MP. There is no reason for me to resign. I will still take care of my constituents and I will carry on, to speak up against the wrong whether it is from this side or that side. Nation-building must come first and my duty is for the people,” he said.
However, Wee kept mum when pressed on if other PKR MPs were planning on leaving the party, but he admitted that many of his compatriots have been unhappy with the party leadership.“ What I do know is that there are many party members who are unhappy with the way things are happening in the party. As for me, I had had enough of the double talk, double standards, nepotism, cronyism and most of all, the activities of the little Napoleons,” he said.
He, however, declined to name the “little Napoleons”.
His resignation comes three weeks after denying rumours that he was expected to leave the party.
In a strongly-worded press statement aimed at Malaysiakini, the lawyer had late last month accused the news portal of erroneous reporting.
Wee also claimed that it was the "little Napoleons" in PKR who have been feeding inaccurate information about him to the media to give the impression that he was to defect.
"Malaysiakini should wake up and not be made a fool of by irresponsible and insecure persons," he said.
Colleague Manikavasagam 'surprised'
His compatriot and well-known supporter Kapar MP S Manikavasagam expressed shock when contacted by Malaysiakini for comments.
"He has resigned? I really didn't know anything about it," said the MP.
Sounding upset, Manikavasagam, who spearheaded the allegation of corruption in the sand-mining issue, said: "No, no, no. He should stay on and fight with me."
Adding that Wee was one of his strongest supporter in Manikavasagam's cause, he refused to comment further.
"I have to call Wee first. I cannot comment now."
Meanwhile, when met at the DAP operation room in Sibu, party supremo Lim Kit Siang also declined to comment on the matter.
"I think it is no surprise," he said.
Wee is former DAP parliamentarian for Bukit Bintang. However he was sacked from DAP in 1998 for participating in the 'Kick Out Kit Siang' (KOKS) campaign. Wee went on to form the Malaysian Democratic Party.
In 2008, he was invited by Anwar Ibrahim to join PKR and went on to contest the Wangsa Maju constitue
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