Review Zakaria's sacking at MPP meet, detractors urged

PKR disciplinary council chief Ahmad Kassim has urged party leaders who were unhappy over the sacking of central committee member Zakaria Abdul Hamid to raise the matter at the next central leadership council (MPP) meeting.

"The decision to sack Zakaria was the MPP's decision, not the disciplinary council's or the president's," said Ahmad.

He said this in response to a memorandum of objection signed by PKR deputy president Azmin Ali and MPP members aligned to him this morning.

"The disciplinary council welcomes the memorandum that will be scrutinised at our next meeting and we will be making recommendations at the next MPP meeting," he said.

"I urge all those who signed the memo to attend the (MPP) meeting and defend their views (in the memo) through the MPP meeting." 

The statement was signed by Azmin, vice-presidents Zuraida Kamaruddin, Tian Chua and 17 others, including Zakaria.

The leaders further urged PKR president Anwar Ibrahim to apologise for the decision which allegedly did not receive two-thirds support from the MPP.

In response, an aide to Anwar said there was no need for the president to apologise for the decision.

Perak PKR chief Farhash Wafa Salvador Rizal Mubarak also took a swipe at Azmin and the leaders aligned to him, hitting at the economic affairs minister's absenteeism from party meetings.

"If Azmin had constantly given excuses for not attending party meetings due to alleged ministerial work, then what about the 19 MPP members with him?" said Farhash in a statement.

He also alluded to Azmin's private meeting with BN lawmakers on Nov 18 at his residence.

"How come it was so easy for him to find the time to meet Opposition members at his official residence? My advice is if you have lost direction, please do not try and disillusionise our members," he added.

Previously, PKR communications chief Fahmi Fadzil said Zakaria had two weeks to appeal the decision, although he maintained that the party's top leadership had found allegations in the MACC letter to be "extremely serious" and, thus, the need for the sacking.