Anwar: Zahrain, even Zaid, to face disciplinary board with Zulkifli

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 31: To avoid any accusations of bias or favoritism, Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim said PKR leaders Zaid Ibrahim and Zahrain Mohd Hashim would also have to appear before the party's disciplinary committee and face the music alongside their controversial colleague Zulkifli Noordin.

Anwar, who is also the PKR adviser, slammed Zahrain, the Bayan Baru MP, for his verbal attacks against DAP secretary-general and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guang.

“It is not that we don’t like to be criticized,” Anwar told a press conference on Sunday. “It is okay to criticise, but it is not right to attack Guan Eng calling him dictator, chauvinist, communist as he has always consulted others, sometimes he reviews his own decision, but at the end of the day, he is the Chief Minister.”

It is unclear if the disciplinary board, which is in the midst of probing Zulkifli for lodging a police report against PAS leader Khalid Samad, will meet all three men together or separately.

However, PKR insiders told Harakahdaily it is more likely the panel would review all three men separately.

Warning, suspension and the sack

Zaid is being hauled up for having publicly scolded the PKR leadership for not taking swifter and harsher action against Zulkifli. As his offence is the lightest amongst the trio, most expect him to be issued a warning letter.

“Some of us have called for immediate action, but here in PKR and Pakatan, we have to adhere to the party constitution and allow due process to take place,” Anwar explained.

However, Zahrain, the former Penang PKR chief, may even face suspension if he continues to keep challenging the Penang Pakatan administration and create negative publicity for the coalition

As for Zulkifli, who has given several press interviews in the past few days despite a gag order, it is possible he may face the sack.

“PKR members would be disappointed if the disciplinary panel did not deal with Zulkifli harshly. He has shown himself to be an Umno stooge,” a PKR source told Harakahdaily.

“His concern is not for Islam as he has made it out to be. Based on the things that he has revealed in the interviews that he has given to the Umno-controlled media, he only seems to be keen on currying favour with top Umno leaders.

Zulkifli had crossed swords with Khalid, the MP for Shah Alam, over the use of the word Allah by non-Muslims. He then lodged a police report against the PAS leader. That sparked anger from amongst his Pakatan colleagues, not least from his own PKR party, drawing calls from Zaid for his immediate sacking.

But instead of keeping his head down, Zulkifli has been getting bolder and creating fresh furore for the Pakatan by calling the DAP a chauvinistic party that wanted to turn Malaysia into a Chinese country. He also urged PKR and PAS to dump DAP and join hands with Umno instead.

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Prince vs prince in Kelantan

KUALA LUMPUR: Just days after his Syariah Court win over his estranged wife, the Tengku Temenggong of Kelantan Tengku Muhammad Fakhry Petra is back in the courts again. This time, he’s challenging the decision of his eldest brother – the Kelantan Regent – who revoked his membership in the Kelantan Succession Council on Sept 16.

The council confirms the succession to the throne in Kelantan and determines whether there is a vacancy in the throne by reason of a prolonged absence of the reigning sovereign.

Tengku Muhammad Fakhry, 31, the third son of the Sultan of Kelantan, is third in line to the throne.

The Sultan appointed him to the council in or about 2001.

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