Sng: Claim of 2,000 Bakelalan members leaving has yet to be substantiated

Datuk Larry Sng

By Lian Cheng

KUCHING, Mar 16: Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Sarawak chairman Larry Sng has expected a fallout within the party but holds that the claim of 2,000 Ba Kelalan party members were leaving has yet to be substantiated.

He said until now, he has yet to receive their letters of resignation.

“Those who declared they have left, we don’t know who they are. We are not sure how many of them are party members and how many are not. We are waiting for black and white.

“I have my reservation to this claim that 2,000 members are leaving. There are a lot of people making different claims. Not until I receive black and white then I can be sure how many actually left.

“We expect certain fallout after the three MPs left, and it was naturally for these MPs to bring along with them their supporters, ” Sng told DayakDaily.

On whether there was a rift within the party, Sng who is also Julau MP said, party leaders have already taking into account risk element.

“What happened in the party was not unexpected. Apart from the three MPs, there will be others who are leaving.

“So, we do have vacancies to be filled. The party will grow from strength to strength,” said Sng.

There has been news reports stating that 2,000 PKR Bakelalan members have left the party.

Former PKR Ba Kelalan branch chief who was also former PKR Sarawak chief Baru Bian left with PKR deputy president Datuk Seri Azmin Ali to throw their support to Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

During that time, the struggle was between Dr Mahathir and PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as to who had the most parliamentary seats to be the next premier after Dr Mahathir resigned as Prime Minister on Feb 24.

Along the way, Azmin and his group shifted their support from Dr Mahathir to Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin which Baru did not support.

Baru went back to pledge his allegiance to Dr Mahathir and made public his stance.

To Sng, when Baru left with Azmin’s group, they did not send in their resignation letters, but their action meant that they have automatically left the party.

“Our supporters and leaders are now going to the ground to meet with branch leaders to explain to them what has been going on,” said Sng. — DayakDaily