PKR leader ticks Zaid off for attacking Anwar

Zaid Ibrahim's call for party supremo Anwar Ibrahim and its vice-president Azmin Ali to quit the party was 'extraordinary', said a Penang PKR leader.

State information deputy chairperson Law Choo Kiang said that it was the ‘persistent' effort of the two leaders which built up the party's strength and winning four states in the last general election.

"A party which has been built up for such a long time cannot collapse from internal power struggles as it is acknowledged that Keadilan is a party that gives its members the freedom to air differing views," said Law (left).

The Bukit Tambun assemblyperson added that members must be polite when expressing their views and go through the party's channels to air their dissatisfaction.

Zaid, who dropped out of the deputy president race and quit all party posts recently, is caught in a bitter fight with Anwar and Azmin.

He accused the duo of being responsible for the party's woes, and called on them to leave the party for real transformation to take place.

He was also extremely unhappy with the party's direct election process, claiming it was tainted with malpractises and fraud.

Zaid himself had been weathering a rain of criticisms, many personal, ranging from being called a "traitor, Trojan horse, to conspirator, sore loser and quitter".

PKR rose on rakyat's sweat, tears

Law, president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail's former political secretary, said PKR was established with the "sweat and tears" of the rakyat, hungering for truth and justice.

The cruelty suffered by Anwar in 1998 became the momentum for the people's uprising and thirst for justice, he added.

"It would not have been possible for Keadilan to continue to struggle through this long journey if not for an extraordinary man like Anwar Ibrahim (right)," he said.

"The party is strong today because of all his efforts," he added.

"He was willing to be jailed, shamed, slandered and disgraced; we will not forget his sacrifices just like that," he said.

Law said Zaid did not understand this; that the party was build on a strong foundation, with the sufferings, sweat and tears of all its supporters since 1998.

Like many others, he questioned Zaid's loyalty towards the party's ideals.

"Where was Zaid when acid water and tear-gas rained on our supporters, when they lost their jobs and livelihood when struggling for the party?" he asked.

"Please put the party above all else," he urged party members.