KUALA LUMPUR, July 19 — Hassan Karim has stepped down as Johor PKR chief after submitting his resignation letter last week.
Online news portal Malaysiakini quoted a source who said that Hassan's decision to quit was not related to the tense relations between the party's president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his number two Datuk Seri Azmin Ali.
“The resignation letter was sent to Anwar on July 12 but it is not related to the ongoing conflict within PKR,” the source reportedly said.
The Pasir Gudang lawmaker was also absent at the PKR state chiefs’ meeting this morning at the party’s headquarters, where six state leaders declared their support for Anwar.
Led by Kedah PKR chief Datuk Johari Abdul, five other state party leaders called on their colleagues to stand behind their president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who had come under fire from allies over a sex scandal conspiracy that implicated Azmin.
The six state party leaders urged the rest of their PKR peers to unite and focus on delivering Pakatan Harapan’s election promises instead of attacking each other over the prime ministerial succession plan.
Hassan had originally turned down his appointment back in December following Nurul Izzah's own resignation as the party's vice-president and Penang state chairman.
At the time, his appointment was criticised by multiple parties amidst accusations of cronyism after Azmin had defeated his challenger Rafizi Ramli for PKR's number two post during the PKR elections.
After the election results were over, Anwar had appointed Rafizi and some of Rafizi's supporters into the party's office.
Hassan had said that since his appointment was in dispute, it was proper for him to step down.
However, he reversed his decision and took up the mantle of the party's state chief.
