FIFTY three thousand members of Penggerak Komuniti Negara (PKN) have joined newly formed Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM) today, under the leadership of its chairman Hizwan Ahmad.  

Hizwan said he is looking to convince 200,000 to 300,000 more PKN members to join PBM. 

The former Bersatu member and former political secretary to Zuraida Kamaruddin said PKN has proposed an agenda to PBM’s leadership, which will be focused on empowering youth and women.  

PKN was registered with the Registrar of Societies (ROS) on June 16 last year, with Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Zuraida touting it at the time as a civil society group set up to aid with initiatives under her previous portfolio – the Housing and Local Government Ministry.

“Thirty years of stagnation and political immaturity from both sides of the political divide – government and opposition – has cost us greatly,” Hizwan said at a press conference after the launch.  

“As a millennial, I speak for my fellow millennial and zoomer members when I say we are totally fed up with 64 years of racial and religious politics that have divided this nation. We joined PBM because we want a multiracial, inclusive political platform that is fully relevant for progressive people,” he said. 

Dubbed The Great Reset, PKN, under PBM, looks to correct what they deem as Malaysia’s 30 years of stagnation and political immaturity from both sides of the divide.

However, Hizwan said, PBM’s leadership is currently still incomplete and has been asked by the ROS to hold an inaugural general meeting to determine its leadership roles.  

PBM was created from the takeover of the Sarawak Workers Party, which was founded by Julau MP Larry Sng’s father, Sng Chee Hua.

Larry, who is former Sarawak PKR chief, is a key figure in the setting up of PBM.

PBM’s senior vice president is Tebrau MP Steven Choong, who was formerly also from PKR.

The report said there has been a push for Zuraida to lead PBM. PBM’s current president Mohmad Sukri Yusri is a relative unknown while its deputy is Larry.

The group of PKR defectors, led by its former deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali and ex-vice president Zuraida, had initially planned to form their own party but most ended up joining Bersatu. 

“So far, some very big names have been proposed so we are quite excited to know that PBM is already in demand despite being new,” Hizwan said. – December 21, 2021.