'No intention of leaving PKR, just criticising Anwar so he can do better'– Pasir Gudang MP

PASIR GUDANG – Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim said he has no intention of leaving Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) following three recent controversial poems criticising Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

He explained that the poems were used as platforms in order to criticise the PKR President in a prudent and civilised manner because there was no channel to do so in the party as he had no position in PKR.

The former Johor PKR chairman said that he did not intend to oppose the leadership of the Unity Government through the poems, but it was his way of expressing his thoughts on what could be done better when all PKR leaders remained silent.

“My intention is to reprimand Anwar when others are unwilling to do so. It’s okay for me to be scolded by one or two leaders and ministers from PKR but until now I have not heard Anwar express anger or disappointment regarding the matter.

“Anwar can accept (poems criticising him) because apart from being posted on my Facebook, I also sent the poem through the WhatsApp application and the first person I sent it to was Anwar.

“At least he knows someone is talking (criticising him), my purpose is to remind him not to run away from his original struggle.

“I had to speak honestly even though many friends asked me to be patient and not be too harsh (excessive criticising),” he said.

He said this when met by reporters during a work visit in conjunction with the retirement of Pasir Gudang Fire Station Chief Deputy Fire Chief II Ibrahim Omar at the Pasir Gudang Fire and Rescue Station (BBP) here on Thursday.

On the Dec 5, 14 and 18, Hassan produced three poems titled ‘Ku Simpan Risalah Reformasi di Dalam Peti’, ‘Kuasa Mengubah Segala-galanya’ and ‘Satu Deklarasi yang mengkritik Anwar’ which were uploaded on his Facebook.

He metaphorically criticised Anwar and PKR who he said were willing to mortgage the original principles and struggle of the party for the sake of power in addition to questioning the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Pakatan Harapan (PH) and the coalition of parties supporting the formation of the Unity Government.

Commenting further, Hassan said that many PKR leaders disagreed with his poem and asked him to give Anwar a chance to become Prime Minister in a situation where PH had to merge with other parties to form the Federal government.

He used poetry to send messages to Anwar because it was more subtle than issuing a statement that used harsh language.

Hassan was relieved when he was able to express his remarks through poetry and many parties made various interpretations from the verses of his poetry but still did not ‘run away’ from the context or the original message he wanted to convey to Anwar.

“Previously, I produced reform poems for Anwar when I was the Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM) youth chief. The poems were published under the title Anthology of Reform Poems and then published by PRM in book form.

“I have supported Anwar’s struggle since the days of PRM, before it merged with Parti Keadilan Nasional (PKN) in 2001 to become PKR.

“Through the last poem, I stated that I was willing to be ‘beheaded’, which means that I am willing to be subjected to disciplinary action for going against the grain and issuing statements that are always different from the leadership of the party,” he said.