Nik Nazmi must stay true to his principles – Iswardy

SHAH ALAM – Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad must remain steadfast in his principle to resign after losing in all contests at the branch and central levels of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), in line with the reformist ideals he upholds.

Former PKR Information Coordination Secretary, Iswardy Morni, said that the position of minister was not a mandate from the people, but rather an appointment by the Prime Minister due to Nik Nazmi's standing in the party.

He said the same situation has occurred involving leaders from other parties.

"The people's mandate refers to his position as a Member of Parliament.

"What would be inappropriate is if he resigns as an MP. That would not be right," he told Sinar on Tuesday.

Iswardy

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, when asked on Monday about Nik Nazmi’s status in the Cabinet, said that the leave period for the former PKR vice president would end this week.

However, he explained that no final decision had been made yet, and the government was still giving Nik Nazmi space to resume his duties.

Iswardy added that he believed the decision made by Nik Nazmi was due to his awareness that party members had rejected him as a party leader.

“As such, the new leadership deserves to be given higher positions.

“(Datuk Seri R) Ramanan, as the new PKR vice president, should be promoted to minister to replace Nik Nazmi and (Datuk Seri) Amirudin Shari should be appointed as Economy Minister due to his experience governing Selangor,” he said.

He also opined that the Prime Minister's daughter, Nurul Izzah Anwar should be appointed as Selangor Menteri Besar after winning the post of deputy president.

“A by-election should be held, just like what happened during the Kajang Move,” he said.