SUBANG JAYA: PKR vice-president Zuraida Kamaruddin has dismissed a fellow party leader’s analogy in describing the relationship between cabinet members and the prime minister.
She chided PKR advisory council deputy chairman Dr Syed Husin Ali’s statement on Sunday, in which the latter said that Pakatan Harapan leaders were stymied by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. was incorrect.
She said she disagreed with the word “dibonsaikan” used by Syed Husin in describing how cabinet members were unable to stand up to Dr Mahathir.
“I thought bonsai plants are very steady, productive or stable, so that is the wrong analogy.
“Syed Husin is not aware of how our cabinet meetings take place.
“We exhaust all our views and all decisions are made on a consensus basis, and not by the prime minister alone,” said Zuraida, adding that Syed Husin needed to understand that decisions made by the cabinet were always done in a collective manner.
She was speaking to reporters after launching the Malaysian Plastics Manufacturers Association (MPMA) and Malaysian Plastics Recyclers Association (MPRA) white paper titled “An Advanced Plastics Recycling Industry for Malaysia” at Monash University Malaysia today.
In his statement two days ago, Syed Husin posed a question on whether Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Mohamad Sabu and Lim Kit Siang were being stymied by Dr Mahathir.
He also criticised Dr Mahathir for refusing to outline a clear leadership transition plan, among other things.
He further questioned whether Mahathir, who has been “proven to be a sly leader and skilled at twisting facts, be allowed to continue to deceive the people?”.
Syed directed these questions to the Harapan presidential council, adding that they would be held responsible if Mahathir’s actions led to political anarchy.
Syed Husin, a political veteran who started out with Parti Rakyat Malaysia in 1974, was one of the founding leaders of PKR following the merger of Parti Keadilan Nasional and Parti Rakyat Malaysia.