SHAH ALAM: Denials by former chief executive of the Selangor Economic Advisory Office Rafizi Ramli that his abrupt resignation had nothing to do with the widening rift in Parti Keadilan Rakyat did not stop talk that he quit because of a split within the party.
More theories have emerged, a day after the PKR strategic director's resignation from the state post, with his supporters going to the extent of asking him not to jump ship by joining Umno.
Among popular theories are that his resignation had something to do with the open war waged by members aligned with Selangor PKR chief Azmin Ali against Selangor menteri besar's political secretary Faekah Husin and also of a possible clash between Rafizi and Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim himself.
The disagreement between Rafizi and Khalid was said to have something to do with the free education pilot project which ended up with Selangor having to admit that it was not yet able to give free education to students in state-run institutions.
At the same time, the timing of Rafizi's departure, two days after Khalid threw his full support behind his political secretary, who is in the centre of an open crisis with Azmin, made the theory that his move was an act of protest against the state administration difficult to dismiss.
Yesterday, the New Straits Times reported that party sources claimed the power struggle between Azmin and Khalid was not the reason behind Rafizi's resignation, hinting that it could be due to a tiff with his boss, PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Rafizi's resignation without serving any notice to Menteri Besar Incorporated (MBI), which pays his salary, shocked his colleagues. One of them, researcher Akmar Nasir also tendered his resignation.
Sources in the state government said Akmar resigned because he had nothing left to do after Rafizi left as Anwar was rarely in the office.
Rafizi yesterday maintained via his tweets that he left to concentrate on party work and would never join Umno.
Selangor BN coordinator Datuk Mohd Zin Mohamed, when contacted, said it was now clear that PKR and its allies were facing a critical political crisis.
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