TURMOIL within PKR’s ranks jumped up a notch today as its secretary-general, Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, announced he will sue fellow party leadership member Zuraida Kamaruddin for defamation.

“Besides a show-cause letter from PKR’s disciplinary committee, I will sue her in my personal capacity,” Saifuddin said in Putrajaya today.

“Her speech (at the Renaissance Hotel) contained several allegations that were defamatory to me,” Saifuddin, who is also domestic trade and consumer affairs minister, said.

Saifuddin, however, declined to say when his letter of demand was sent.

On December 8, Zuraida and several PKR leaders aligned to deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali had held a gathering at the Renaissance Hotel to criticise their own party leaders. 

Under the guise of “Shared Prosperity 2030”, the leaders had criticised Saifuddin, communications director Fahmi Fadzil and PKR president Anwar Ibrahim’s political secretary, Farhash Wafa Salvador.

The PKR disciplinary committee issued a show-cause letter to Zuraida, who is also housing and local government minister, to explain her actions on December 8. 

Zuraida had, in her speech, criticised Anwar over decision he had made following the party’s first elections post-GE14.

She said Anwar had abused his position and appointed defeated candidates – who she said had lost grassroots support – to its central leadership council and state leadership units.

She had called Saifuddin selfish for contesting a parliamentary and state seat in the last election.

Saifuddin is the Kulim-Bandar Baru MP and Pantai Jerejak state assemblyman in Penang.

She said Saifuddin was afraid of losing in the parliamentary contest and thus, contested the state seat as well, proving he was only looking after his own interests instead of the party’s.

Meanwhile, Saifuddin said he does not know if Zuraida has replied his letter of demand.

The Malaysian Insight has contacted Zuraida and is waiting for her reply. – January 28, 2020.