Former PKR secretary-general Datuk Salehuddin Hashim, who resigned from his post in January, has now quit the party.
Salehuddin, when contacted, said he made his decision two weeks after ending his term of office.
“I did not want to quit the party when my term of office had yet to end. But when it ended, I informed the party that I was quitting,” said Salehuddin, who first held the post of organising secretary in the party before he was made secretary-general after the March 2008 general election.
His resignation from the party comes as a big blow to PKR as he once held a top post and was a senior party member who was part of de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's inner circle.
On whether he would join another party, possibly Umno, Salehuddin only said that “he was a politician who has retired”.
His name has been among those mentioned from PKR who were said to be joining Umno.
Yesterday, former Penang Deputy Chief Minister I Mohd Fairus Khairuddin, who was also the former state assemblyman for Penanti, announced that he was joining Umno.
Salehuddin said he has never contacted Fairus since the ex-Penanti representative left the party last year.
Fairus’ move was announced at a Silat Seni Gayong Malaysia function which also saw the presence of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who is also Umno president.
Salehuddin was at a recent press conference held by Bayan Baru MP Datuk Seri Zahrain Hashim to announce that he was quitting PKR.
In January, Salehuddin denied that he was quitting PKR at that time but he was not so sure later.
In an interview, he also said the PKR leadership had treated him well but had not fully utilised him.
“I am not a staff ... I am the heart and soul (of the party secretariat),” he had said.
news courtesy of Malaysian Insider
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