PKR vice-president Zuraida Kamaruddin would have known about why a central leadership committee member had been sacked from the party yesterday if she had attended party meetings, said the party’s communications director Fahmi Fadzil.

Fahmi was responding after Zuraida today slammed the party for being “selective” in sacking Zakaria Abd Hamid, who is also a former political secretary of Sarawak PKR chief Baru Bian.

Zakaria, who is also the Bera division chief, and another member had been sacked yesterday over suspicion of corruption and bribery during the party polls last year.

“She mentioned about ‘selective justice’. I think if she had attended weekly political bureau meetings and yesterday’s central leadership council meeting, the full information provided to us was clear enough for the action to be taken,” Fahmi told reporters.

Fahmi again urged the minister and other party leaders to attend meetings and discuss matters, and not to complicate things by going straight to the media.

“I urge that you and other party leaders to always attend meetings.

“Use these (meetings) as the party’s platform to discuss things and not give statements to the media. That doesn’t solve problems, it only helps to complicate the situation,” the Lembah Pantai MP said.

Yesterday, the party’s disciplinary board chairman Ahmad Kassim said the decision to sack Zakaria and the other member was made based on the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) advice via a letter dated October 23.

Fahmi said that there’s a full report on Zakaria by the MACC, which required the party to take disciplinary action on him.

Zakaria yesterday claimed that he was sacked from the party without being given an opportunity to defend himself.

Fahmi said Zakaria can appeal the decision.

“The party’s constitution allows any member who had been sacked to appeal to the president to be allowed to return as a member,” Fahmi told reporters. – November 25, 2019.