October 25, 2009
PKR forms National Integration Council for Sabah and Sarawak
by Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani
PKR moved today to put behind the rising discontent in East Malaysia when it appointed a new state chief for Sabah and also formed a National Integration Council for Sabah and Sarawak.
Thamrin Zaini was appointed the new Sabah chief, replacing Azmin Ali after leaders from the state had threatened a revolt recently over the latter’s leadership.
But the party hopes that the formation of the new National Integration Council with senior leaders from the state and also from the peninsular will be a more permanent solution to help improve ties with the two East Malaysian states.
Among the leaders appointed to the council are Dr Jeffrey Kitingan as coordinator, and Daniel Tajem from Sarawak, Dr Syed Husin Ali and Dr Toh Kin Woon.
PKR chieftains in both states were in open revolt and were demanding that local leaders be appointed to head the party.
In Sabah, factions aligned to the appointed party vice-president Jeffrey had launched a mutiny against Azmin by submitting a memorandum which, among other matters, claimed that Azmin had under-performed.
But after PKR’s national leadership met today for four hours, party president Datuk Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail announced that both vice-president Azmin and Mustafa Kamil Ayub would be replaced as Sabah and Sarawak chiefs.
Azmin has been replaced by local man Thamrin, who is Libaran assemblyman, and Mustafa was replaced by local lawyer Baru Bian.
PKR President Dato Seri Wan Azizah
Wan Azizah denied that Azmin’s removal was due to pressure from PKR Sabah.
“There was not any issue of revolt. We had a meeting and they agreed to give me the mandate to choose ( Sabah’s party chief) and they will support my decision,” she told reporters at PKR headquarters in Tropicana here.
Both Azmin and Mustafa Kamal Ayub have been reappointed as party chiefs of Federal Territory and Perak respectively.
Wan Azizah also anounced that Penang deputy chief minister Dr. Mansor Othman would replace Datuk Zahrain Mohammad Hashim as Penang’s new party chief with Abd Rahman Yusof as Terengganu chief, and PKR election director Saifuddin Nasution as Kelantan chief. PKR Youth chief Syamsul Iskandar would also be replacing Khalid Jafaar as Melaka party chief.
Party de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim denied that Azmin reportedly resigned from his Sabah post earlier this week.
“Azmin Ali and Mustafa Kamil Ayub were given the task ( to lead Sabah and Sarawak) till the end of October,” he told reporters at PKR headquarters in Tropicana here.
In a bid to make headway in both states, which are crucial vote banks for Barisan National (BN), ahead of the next national elections, Anwar took over the leadership of both states in March.
However in May, both Mustaffa and Azmin were handpicked to lead the party in the two states.
The unilateral move by Anwar to appoint Malay leaders from the peninsula, which was supposedly a temporary measure to consolidate the party in East Malaysia, had backfired.
In an effort to help mend the strained relationship between the party’s east and west Malaysian members, the party announced the formation of a National Integration Council for Sabah and Sarawak.
Din Merican: the Malaysian DJ Blogger 
The decision to form a National Integration Council for Sabah and Sarawak made at today’s PKR leaders’ meeting in Tropicana should be a welcome move. It puts to rest any rumours of serious disputes among leaders in these key frontline states. It is unity time for PKR, as it must be readied to face the challenges from a resurgent UMNO-BN(?).
The closing of the ranks is, therefore, timely. Now PKR can focus on getting the machinery in good repair for future elections and mobilising ground support. People in Sabah and Sarawak want change and would welcome the new politics of integration. It is worthy to note leaders in both these states have a big say in how PKR is being managed there. They, however, must show goodwill and solidarity and work for the progress of Sabahans and Sarawakians.
Some major changes have also been made in Penang, Kelantan, Terengganu, Perak, Federal Territory and Malacca. Hopefully with these changes, PKR is in position to recruit new members, and further strengthen its grassroots machinery in these states. PKR President Dato Seri Wan Azizah is to be congratulated for responding promptly to developments in Sabah and Sarawak.
The National Integration Council should be able to function effectively since it was formed with the support and cooperation of leaders there. Cooperation is absolutely essential between leaders if PKR is to make its presence felt in East Malaysia.—Din Merican
Din,
Was Dr Jeffrey the choice of the Sabah PKR?Are we following the footsteps of the BNin that the head has to be a Malay/Muslim? I thought we got past the racial and religious card playing.Tel us I am wrong.
Azmin has been replaced by local man Thamrin, who is Libaran assemblyman –
The Author
I know Thamrin , besides being the PKR chief for Libaran , he certainly is not its assemblyman. or rather its Member of parliament.
Thamrin stood and lost to Musa Aman in the Sungai Sibuga state seat to none other than Musa Aman in the 2008 GE. Likewise he was defeated by Jusli Ajirol(umno-bn) in the Libaran MP contest.
Just to put things straight, abg din.
Hmm.., strange is it not? Expected though.
I’d rather not say too much what i think of this, when the obvious choice was Dr. Jefrrey, who is well known for his independent views for Sabah besides his amphibian antics. JK obviously isn’t a team player – but he does have the ‘smart’ and street creds. But as Danil will point out, he too does not have the MP nor assembly status.
A bad miscalculation on Anwars’s part? Still time to do right.
Whatever happened to unity in diversity…?
Yes , Menyalak-er , I am a bit puzzled too , probably Anwar is using Thamrin as buffet between Jeffrey and Ansari to lessen internal squabbles
Thamrin is a humble lad but besides having beautiful daughters , he falls well below Jeffrey and Ansari as far as credentials and expertise are concern
Hi Merican,
Your clarification relieved me. Thanks
I am not a politician but as a wife of UMNO politician’s buddy I pays full respect towards DS Anwar Ibrahim for having such a gut. His determination – superb. Malaysians are lucky for having you. Thank God.
Suraya Hashim
Mont Kiara
_________
Thanks, Suraya. Anwar is politically astute and I have greatest respect for his political acumen and judgment.That comes from experience and knowledge. Anwar is a man of intellectual bent with a vision for our country. Of course, there are people who feel threatened should he become the next Prime Minister. Good governance undermines vested interests, which benefit enormously from the way UMNO-BN does business.–Din Merican
Huh??
Din,
1. Who is this nobody by the name of Thamrin? Does he gets his order from Kuala Lumpur? This wont go down well…
2. The removal of Datuk Zahrain Mohammad Hashim as Penang’s new party chief is a shocker. I know many people dont fancy him but he is a warlord…a powerful one at that.
3. Unless Anwar give this man something else for him to “chew”…….
From Harris Ibrahim’s blog
The End Days of PKR in Sabah
__________
Piqued, this is what I wrote in Haris Ibrahim’s blog:
“Haris Ibrahim comes strong because he is passionate about ground up politics and democratic politics.I respect him and am in touch with him. But Haris knows that PKR (and Pakatan Rakyat) is still the best hope for Malaysia and by the way, we were the first political party to endorse his People’s Declaration and PKR has not abandoned that commitment.
I know Dr Jeffrey Kittingan and Ansari. Let us not judge them too harshly.Both men are committed to the struggle for change.They are professionals in their own right with very strong views.But as men of maturity and reason, they have learned to compromise. The appointment of Dr Kittingan as coordinator of the newly formed National Integration Council was made with the full knowledge of Ansari.
On Dato Seri Zahrain, I think the party wants him focus on his parliamentary duties. He has still direct access to Anwar Ibrahim as part of his inner circle of advisers and associates at Party Headquarters.
Dr. Mansor Othman is the logical choice to take over as PKR Chief for Penang, a position he held before. He is now Deputy Chief Minister 1, which will be helpful to the party machinery. Again, I suggest we should not read too much into this change which was announced by Dato Seri Wan Azizah yesterday. BTW, the change in Penang was made in consultation with Dato Seri Zahrain himself.–Din Merican
The appointment of Thamrin Zaini as Sabah’s PKR chief was made after consultation and discussion with Ansari, Dr. Jeffery and other leaders. The same approach was adopted in Sarawak where Lawyer Baru Bian (a non-Dayak) is the new PKR chief. It has nothing to do with race or religion.
Focus should now be on the National Integration Council where Dr. Jeffery is the coordinator. Let us give this new set-up a little time, and lots of support and understanding it will need to focus on getting our party machinery in Sabah and Sarawak in good shape and united in common purpose.
The strength of PKR is its ability to make changes and adapt to the requirements of the situation. Based on my two year stint with PKR, I find Anwar Ibrahim and top leadership to be open to fresh ideas and suggestions from the ground.
PKR is evolving and adapting as fast as it can. It is a young and dynamic set-up; nothing is left to chance and nothing is cast in stone. PKR can re-engineer its organization whenever required. Without much fanfare,for example, it has amended its constitution (ahead of UMNO) to be even more democratic and grassroots driven.—Din Merican
P.S. Here is an interesting comment:
“Politicians throughout history have tried to solve every problem conceivable to man, always failing to recognize that many of the problems we face result from previous so-called political solutions. Government cannot be the answer to every human ill. Continuing to view more government as the solution to problems will only make matters worse.
Believing we have perfect knowledge of God’s will, and believing government can manage our lives and world affairs, have caused a great deal of problems for man over the ages. When these two elements are combined they become especially dangerous.
Liberty, by contrast, removes power from government and allows total freedom of choice in pursuing one’s religious beliefs. The only solution to controlling political violence is to prohibit the use of force to pursue religious goals and reject government authority to mold the behavior of individuals.
One of the major reasons we’ve drifted from the Founders’ vision of liberty in the Constitution was the division of the concept of freedom into two parts. Instead of freedom being applied equally to social and economic transactions, it has come to be thought of as two different concepts. Some in Congress now protect economic liberty and market choices, but ignore personal liberty and private choices. Others defend personal liberty, but concede the realm of property and economic transactions to government control…more
http://www.lewrockwell.com/paul/paul342.html
Hopefully DSAI and the central leadership will change Perlis’s Johari Shafie as well. This retired government servant doesn’t know anything about politics. We in Perlis really upset when we read the news that he was still retained.
Strange, why Azizah do the dirty job and not Anwar.
Pity Azizah, how could a husband like Anwar did this to his wife of many years.
If he can play this dirty game to his wife, I’m not surprise if he is capable of doing worse than this to all Malaysian” if he is in power.
GOD forbid’s.
So DIN MERICAN, you got it.. Never trust this guy.
He proof it himself, see how disgusting he is..
So DIN MERICAN stop protecting him go and find other job.
There are abundance of job out there waiting for you.
I don’t see any probelm of you getting a job.
If you do, don’t hesitate to call me.
Afterall what are friend’s for, right DIN MERICAN.
MAHATHIR WILL ALWAY’S BE A PAIN IN PKR AND PR ASS.
HE IS SO LIKEABLE, THAT EVERYDAY YOU WILL HEAR PEOPLE MENTIONING HIS NAME.
DR. MAHATHIR WILL ALWAYS BE AROUND TO MAKE YOU PEOPE LOOK LIKE AN IDIOT.
LONG LIVE MAHATHIR CONTINUING TALKING AND WRITING.
WE LOVE TO HEAR YOU AND READ YOUR BLOG.