Following the sudden resignation of PKR’s Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin as a deputy chief minister of Penang, speculation has been rife that he will also quit his Penanti state seat.

The Chinese press has reported that he is certain to resign as elected representative, but it is learnt that Penang PKR will only make a decision on this tonight.

Deputy state chief Tan Hock Leong confirmed that the party head Zaharain Hashim will chair a liaison committee meeting.

fairus khairuddin and penang“As of now, Fairus (left) has only resigned as Penang Deputy Chief Minister 1. Whether or not he has resigned from his state seat is an internal matter,” he said when contacted.

“Zaharain has said that he will find out the truth from Fairus. We will discuss this before deciding whether to keep him or to request for his resignation.”

Zaharain told Malaysiakini that no decision will be made tonight as a report will only be tabled to the meeting.

He said he is not aware of claims that Fairus had signed a pre-dated resignation letter for the state seat and was only waiting for the right time to make the announcement.

Chinese media reports offer two versions - one states that Fairus has already resigned as state assemblyperson, but that party leaders have only made public the fact that he has relinquished the government post on Saturday.

The second version is that Fairus will resign if Pakatan Rakyat wins the three up-coming by-elections on April 7 in Batang Ai, Bukit Selambau and Bukit Gantang. If he does resign, then there will be another by-election for the Penanti seat in Penang.

The long-runnig saga has been spinning out since last December, but came to a head last week when Fairus went 'on leave'.

Question ignored

Fairus, who has been responding to questions via SMS-text messages, has claimed to be a victim in the situation. He did not, however, reply to questions asking if he has resigned from the state seat.

Reporters waiting at Fairus’s office said he has yet to retrieve his personal belongings.

According to PKR sources, Fairus has been made a scapegoat in power struggles within the party.

A PKR leader said Fairus was said to have purchased BMW and Mercedes vehicles with cash and that this was the main reason why political rivals have attacked him.

However, no proof has been tendered to support allegations that Fairus is involved in corruption.

And in a function in Kuala Lumpur in the evening, PKR supremo Anwar Ibrahim told reporters that Fairus will remain a state assemblyperson.

lim guan eng interview pakatan one year of administration 050309 03And in Penang, state Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng also dismissed speculations that there will be a by-election in Penanti following Fairus' resignation as a state rep.

However he added that the state government must be prepared for any eventuality, but at the moment there was no reason for another by-election in Penang.

"We respect his decision and will allow him to announce his reasons but for now, let us deal with the situation as it happens," he said.

The embattled Fairus himself has informed several newspapers that he would not quit his Penanti seat.

Fairus, 33, was among the youngest to hold such a high government post in Penang.

But his “attitude problems” as alleged by his former officers had put him in a tight spot for the past many months.

He has denied this, saying that many are jealous that he was given such a high position at an early age.