Two Kedah PKR leaders – a state assemblyperson and a parliamentarian – have clashed head-on, leading to a formal complaint being lodged with party leadership.

Lim Soo Nee Kulim state assemblyperson Lim Soo Nee has confirmed that he wrote a letter dated Aug 24 about Padang Serai MP N Gobalakrishnan’s ‘thuggish’ actions over the proposed demolition of hawker stalls.

However, Lim expressed surprise that his letter has been leaked to the public domain.

Defending his action, he said: “(Gobalakrishnan) could have discussed the matter instead of being unruly. His actions tarnished PKR’s image as well as his own standing as a parliamentarian.”

NONE In the letter, Lim alleged that, on Aug 13, Gobalakrishnan had stormed into the office of Kulim Municipal Council (MPK) secretary Ammar Shaikh Mahmood Naim, along with his son and 14 hawkers.

Gobalakrishnan allegedly used abusive language on the staff, insisting that they rescind a council decision to demolish certain hawker stalls in Padang Serai.

Ammar was said to have refused to do so, as the suggestion for action had come from a local councillor and had been put on record.

Kulim municipal councillor Sulaiman Ibrahim, a PAS representative, defended the decision to demolish the stalls in view of the nuisance caused to the public.

‘I wasn't unruly’

When contacted, Gobalakrishnan denied the accusations, saying: “How could I have managed to get MPK to change its decision if I had acted in an unruly manner?”

He claimed that the council had been harassing petty traders and hawkers for some time now. Most recently, MPK put up a demolition notice on the stalls, located at a market in Taman Selasih, Padang Serai.

NONE “The market (is operating on a) gazetted (site), but the council had failed to (complete the) land transfer. Instead, it allocated the site to Brilliant Development Sdn Bhd, the developer of Taman Selasih.”

Gobalakrishnan said he requested Ammar to stop the demolition, but was told that only the council could rescind the order because the councillors had voted for the action.

“They said a viable option would be to hold an emergency council meeting, and this was then arranged within two hours. During the meeting, the demolition was called off by the MPK in a unanimous vote,” said Gobalakrishnan, who attended the session as an observer.

He justified his son G Praveen’s presence at the meeting, saying that the latter is acting as his secretary and driver. Praveen is also a Padang Serai PKR Youth member.

“I will attend the (party) disciplinary hearing when it comes up,” said Gobalakrishnan, when asked if PKR has taken any action against him to date.

Ammar could not be reached for comment. He is currently chief assistant to the Kedah state secretary, based in Alor Setar.