PKR Youth has plunged into another crisis with the sacking of its permanent chairman and his deputy just a week before the wing’s annual congress.

Muhamad Mizan Adli Mohd Nor and his second in command, Mohd Ramly Ahmad, were informed of their termination in a letter dated November 27 and signed by Youth national secretary Ahmad Syukri Che Ab Razak.

The reason given was that they are above 35, which is the maximum age for the posts as stated in the party’s constitution.

The letter also said the two received more votes than the number of delegates present at the PKR Youth national convention last year, suggesting electoral fraud.

Mizan and Ramly got 400 and 397 votes, respectively, but there were only 270 delegates, said the letter.

In an immediate reaction, the duo said they will refer the matter to the Registrar of Societies.

They said it is inappropriate to question their positions and votes received only after a year.

“I was elected by PKR Youth at the national congress, and I can be stripped of my position only by the same gathering,” said Mizan in a statement.

“The PKR national congress is the highest order of the party, higher than the fixed rules they are quoting in the letter.

“As the elected chairman of PKR Youth, I will report such impropriety to RoS.”

He and Ramly were elected to their posts for a period of three years.

The Malaysian Insight understands that the decision to sack the two was made at a meeting last Saturday.

The letter signed by Syukri said the Youth wing’s decision has been accepted by the central leadership council, which met on the same day.

Youth chief Akmal Nasir declined to comment when contacted. Syukri confirmed Mizan and Ramly’s sacking, but did not speak further.

While there is speculation that the dismissals are to prevent potential problems at the Youth congress in Malacca on December 6, PKR insiders said the move is simply to “maintain party discipline”.

Mizan and Ramly are said to be in deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali’s faction, which is locked in a spat with supporters of president Anwar Ibrahim.

PKR Youth was recently in the news for retracting its invitation to Azmin to officiate at its congress and inviting former party president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail instead.

Azmin has blamed hidden hands in the party, saying there are those seeking to shut him up.

Youth deputy chief Hilman Idham and most of the wing’s elected officials are aligned with the party No. 2.

They said the gathering next month should proceed with Azmin conducting officiating duties, but it is unclear how this will be achieved.

Former PKR Youth deputy chief Dr Afif Bahardin slammed Mizan and Ramly’s dismissal as cowardly.

“They were elected by party members at the convention. This has been the party’s practice since its formation.

“It is just like the appointment of the Parliament speaker or state speakers.”

Afif, who lost to Akmal in the contest for the wing’s top post last year, rapped the latter for betraying members.

He said the matter of the wing chairman’s age had never been an issue, pointing out that Mat Shuhaimi Shafie and Azmizam Zaman Huri previously held the post when they were older than 35. – November 28, 2019.