KUALA LUMPUR, May 1 ― A group aligned with Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali calling itself Pemuda Negara has last night appointed several state coordinators ― all of them previously affiliated with PKR.
On their official social media accounts, the group announced its chapter chiefs for Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Johor, Kedah, Perak and Sarawak, who are familair faces known to be affiliated with Azmin’s previous faction in the party where he used to be deputy president.
[PERLANTIKAN KOORDINATOR PEMUDA NEGARA NEGERI-NEGERI]
— Pemuda Negara - Rasmi (@pemudanegara_my) April 30, 2020
Pemuda Negara mengucapkan tahniah kepada semua atas perlantikan sebagai Koordinator Pemuda Negara bagi negeri Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Johor, Kedah, Perak dan Sarawak. #PemudaNegara pic.twitter.com/29cmg8Jlib
Touting itself as a platform for multi-ethnic youths to speak up in Malaysia’s democracy, Pemuda Negara is believed to be another political medium for Azmin, led by his right-hand men ― political secretary Hilman Idham and former Penang exco Dr Afif Bahardin.
Malay Mail takes a look at the list of state coordinators:
1. Selangor: Mizan Adli Mohd Noor
Mizan is a councillor for the Sepang City Council, and was formerly permanent chairman for PKR Youth as well as former PKR Youth deputy in the Pandan branch.
His removal from his position effectively started the brawl and street fight which marred the PKR Youth Congress in Melaka on December 6 last year.
He had been removed from all PKR Youth posts on November 27 last year for being older than 35 years old, its chief Akmal Nasrallah Mohd Nasir explained.
2. Negri Sembilan: Datuk Seri R. Sri Sanjeevan
He is the chairman for the anti-crime NGO Malaysian Crime Watch Task Force (MyWatch), and was Negri Sembilan PKR Youth exco.
He competed for the PKR Youth vice-chief post in 2014 but lost and became less active in the party, before leaving PKR a year later.
He was injured in a mysterious shooting in 2013, and was arrested twice in 2016 for an extortion-cheating charge but was acquitted a year later.
3. Johor: Muhammad Saiful Bahari
He is the former PKR Youth exco and a member of Johor Youth Consultation Council.
Saiful was acked from the party on April 6, and is currently active in Johor Baru and Batu Pahat constituencies together with former Batu Pahat PKR chief Datuk Rashid Hasnon.
4. Kedah: Mohd Firdaus Yusoff
Known by the moniker “Mad Iban”, he was the deputy chief for Sungai Petani PKR division before being removed and suspended from the party on April 20.
A staunch supporter of Dr Afif, Firdaus was part of his team during the PKR Youth 2018 election, winning the national exco post.
5. Perak: Zafril Eusoff
The current chairman for the Ipoh Timor chapter of NGO Penggerak Komuniti Negara and former Ipoh Timor PKR Youth chief, he was active in the party since before the 2008 general election.
He was part of the Perak PKR entourage who was announced to have left the party in Perak on March 2 this year as a protest against Azmin and former vice-president Zuraida Kamaruddin’s dismissal by PKR.
6. Sarawak: Abdul Raafidin Majidi
The Sibu PKR chief since 2014 is also a former candidate for state seat Nangka during Sarawak’s state election in 2016.
The Shariah lawyer is also active as the chairman for the Sibu chapter of NGO Penggerak Komuniti Negara, and is seen to be aligned to former PKR vice-president and Selangau MP Baru Bian.
For other states, Pemuda Negara said it will announce the appointment of other coordinators in the near future.
Dr Afif was previously quoted saying Pemuda Negara is not a political party but an NGO that will be a platform to elevate voices from all ethnicities, especially for the youth, based on democratic principles, justice and shared prosperity.
Hilman, who is the Gombak Setia Assemblyman and then PKR Youth deputy chief, was expelled from the party on March 1, while Dr Afif, who is the Seberang Jaya assemblyman was asked to step down from his Penang exco position before subsequently suspended from the party earlier this month.
