The PPP supreme council expressed full support for its president M Kayveas today and repeated its threat to leave the ruling BN coalition.
PPP senior vice-president Lee Heng, who chaired the party's supreme council meeting as the president is away, stressed that the party's stand is very clear - it wants the government to amend the Internal Security Act (ISA).
"We urge the BN government to amend the ISA as that is our sentiment and that of the people today. There is no point in staying in BN if the ISA is not amended," he said.
The emergency meeting was held following Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s statement on Tuesday that PPP is free to leave BN.
Abdullah said this when asked to respond to Kayveas' ultimatum that his party would withdraw from the ruling coalition if the government did not amend the ISA.
In a statement released to the media, the supreme council said the prime minister’s remark was "nothing more than a mere reply" to the media.
Noting that Abdullah did not ask PPP to leave BN, the supreme council said the party "will cross the bridge when it comes to that bridge".
The supreme council also urged party members to remain calm.
The party does not have any parliamentary or state seat.
‘Not even an advisor’
In a related development, the PPP disciplinary committee has sacked former president SI Rajah for calling on Kayveas to step down.
According to a report in the Star today, Rajah - who was described as the party advisor - took Kayveas to task for issuing an ultimatum with regard to the ISA.
Commenting on the sacking, PPP disciplinary committee head Maglin D'cruz said: "We are not even sure who he is, he is not even an advisor, we haven't even seen him."
Upon checking the records, D'cruz said it was discovered that Rajah was a member of the party and the committee sacked him with immediate effect.
D’cruz, who is also the party’s vice-president claimed that Rajah culd be unhappy when he was removed from the party some time ago following some ‘run-ins’ in the party, which he did not reveal.
“I am not sure when (he was removed), but the president invited him back to the party in March 23, 2007,” he said.
Asked if Rajah could appeal against the decision, he replied: “No, because the supreme council did not authorise him to see the PM or the BN secretary-general and telling them that PPP will not leave BN.
“And calling on the president to step down is a very serious matter,” said D’cruz.
Met later after the press conference, D’cruz said it was unlikely that PPP would leave the BN and join the opposition as "we believe that BN will change its policies somehow” - malaysiakini.com
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