PETALING JAYA, April 19 — Permatang Pauh MP Nurul Izzah Anwar declined to confirm today if she would defend the seat in the 15th general election, saying this would be decided by PKR.

The former PKR vice president added that all decisions on seat allocations would be made collectively by the party’s leadership. 

"I do think we need to abide by the decisions of the party and discussions are ongoing, but I always go back to the issue of all being soldiers of the movement and the party. 

"But let’s cross that bridge when we come to it, but I am also very mindful of the instructions that will be issued (by the party),” she said. 

Nurul Izzah, who resigned from all government and party posts in December 2018, made these comments after launching PKR’s official e-commerce store on the Shopee online shopping platform.

She said the move to start selling party merchandise through online platforms was in line with the party’s vision to constantly evolve and adapt to the times. 

The e-commerce store will feature PKR-themed items such as shirts, caps, keychains, and Duit Raya packets. 

"It is quite exciting because one of the ways the party needs to evolve is to be future-proof in terms of conduct, engagement, with our members, while at the same time fully maximising the existing digital platforms. 

"Of course in the second phase we do need to expand, whether it is through collaboration with Shopee or other digitisation efforts,” she said. 

PKR treasurer Lee Chean Chung said the move to launch the e-commerce site was a pioneering one among local political parties, and would allow PKR to be more connected to voters and its members.

"It would also make life easier with the use of technology for logistics while having this shop can also ensure the safety of our staff during this pandemic. 

"It is also a healthier and more transparent political funding system, as we are sick and tired of all the political scandals and abuses of power, as this is a step towards shaping and creating a new political landscape,” Lee added.