PAKATAN Harapan (PH) remains intact, Amanah president Mohamad Sabu said as speculations rise over Permatang Pauh MP Nurul Izzah Anwar‘s decision to quit the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and serve her final term as MP.

The popular MP from PKR had cited unhappiness with former Barisan Nasional (BN) MPs crossing over to PH component parties in her decision to quit, sparking talks that not all is well within the ruling coalition.

Mohamad, who is also a PH deputy president, dismissed talks of disharmony within the coalition.

“Even husbands and wives sometimes have problems. This is a small matter,” he said when asked to comment in Langkawi today.

He said PH is still doing well and holding meetings to discuss for decisions.

“There are always new developments in politics… leaders come and go. PH will continue to be strong.

“Even now, we (Amanah) have about 10,000 new members a month. Membership is always growing. People are still coming to join us,” he said.

However, Mohamad declined to comment on Nurul Izzah’s decision to quit, saying that it was a personal matter.

“I haven’t met her to ask her about it. But I take it as her personal decision. I respect her decisions.”

Nurul Izzah resigned from the PAC last week, days after Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad decided to allow PAC chairman Ronald Kiandee to remain in the post despite the Beluran MP no longer being an opposition lawmaker.

PH had earlier pledged to appoint an opposition lawmaker for the post. Kiandee was formerly an Umno MP before he joined Bersatu after serving briefly as an independent MP.

Nurul Izzah then told Singapore’s The Sunday Times in an interview that this would be her last term as MP, and that she was dismayed at the crossover of lawmakers from the former ruling BN pact into PH.

In December year, she also quit as PKR vice-president and Penang party chairman.

She had also tweeted about her unhappinesses with defections then.

“Betrayal of mandate given the 9th of May, insults those who are loyal to the cause. Our party was attacked before by defections. Wouldn’t want that kind of pain and antics upon anyone else. There is no meaning to democracy if Malaysia is governed by elite based politicking,” she tweeted last year.

Though she mentioned no party, it was understood she meant the defections of MPs and members from Umno. Several had served briefly as independents before joining Bersatu or Warisan.

Her latest announcement now has drawn criticism from some PH leaders.

Although he did not name Nurul Izzah in his tweet, PKR deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali appeared to have called her a “cry baby” in a tweet.

“This country needs doers who are prepared to tough it out all the way, not cry babies. Whatever it takes, we must make it work. If you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen,” the economic affairs minister tweeted. – March 25, 2019.