SIX PKR state chiefs have signed a pledge to give their undivided support to Anwar Ibrahim to lead the party as it reels from the fallout of a sex video scandal that has implicated its deputy president, Mohamed Azmin Ali.

The six are part of the newly formed State Leaders Council, which was announced today after holding its first meeting.

The six are Kedah PKR chief Johari Abdul, Perlis chief Amran Kamaruddin, Halim Bachik (Malacca), Azan Ismail (Terengganu), Zahir Hassan (Federal Territory) and Supardi Md Noor (Kelantan).

Eight other PKR state chiefs were absent.

Johari, the council’s coordinator, said more signatures would be gathered for the pledge to support Anwar at a state leaders’ retreat in Port Dickson this evening.

Johari said the leaders absent at this morning’s meeting were also committed to signing the pledge.

“There are a few who were unable to sign… two or three who were uncontactable… hopefully, we will get them to do so in Port Dickson.” 

He said the pledge affirmed support for Anwar as PKR president in the face of what they said were attempts to weaken the party.

“As a political party, there are challenges that we will have to undergo. It could be in the form of work, criticism against the leadership or speed in executing our duty.

“We were an opposition for a long time and have only become the government recently,” Johari told a press conference today after the meeting. 

Their declaration of support comes as police close in on those behind the release of the sex clips allegedly showing Azmin with former Santubong PKR Youth chief Haziq Abdullah Abdul Aziz.

Inspector-General of Police Abdul Hamid Bador had said the authenticity of the videos was “highly probable”, although the identity of the persons in them could not be ascertained.

Police have remanded Perak PKR chief Farhash Wafa Salvador Rizal for alleged involvement in the video’s circulation. Farhash was not present at the meeting this morning due to his remand.

Hamid had also said police were not ruling out the possibility of there being a conspiracy behind the release of the videos, with those arrested possibly having followed orders from the head of a political party.

Azmin, who is also economic affairs minister, has denied being in the video. Haziq has been sacked from PKR. He is also currently in remand and will be released tomorrow.

Nine people have been remanded so far as part of police investigations into the scandal.

Battle lines are being drawn as part of the fallout, with 28 PKR central committee members and lawmakers issuing a statement yesterday to take Anwar to task for failing to stand up for Azmin.

Johari today said the state leaders’ pledge to support Anwar did not mean that they were shunning Azmin.

“Support for my president doesn’t mean I don’t support others,” he said when asked if that was the intent of the pledge. – July 19, 2019.