KUALA LUMPUR – PKR Strategy Director Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir has announced plans to file an official protest with the party’s Election Committee (JPP) following his unexpected defeat in the Johor Bahru Division Chief race during the recent KEADILAN party elections.
Akmal, who is also the Deputy Minister for Energy Transition and Water Transformation, lost the division chief post to Johor AMK Chief, Mohamad Taufiq Ismail, who secured 709 votes compared to Akmal’s 587.
In a statement posted on Facebook, Akmal revealed that the decision to file the protest came after the head of his Get Out The Voters (GOTV) operation, Stanley Tan Boon Heng, submitted a statutory declaration defending at least 949 votes in his favour.
“These numbers are not just GOTV estimations, they are backed by clear records of ballots and support,” he wrote.
“The figures are substantiated by Form 14 endorsed by the Head of the Polling Station, the voter list with signed declarations, and photographic evidence.”
He urged supporters to remain calm as he proceeds with submitting his formal protest through the appropriate channels.
Akmal also claimed that the Johor Bahru results reflect a pattern he described as the “headless body phenomenon”, where a majority of committee positions were won by his team, yet he lost the top seat.
“In Johor Bahru, 10 out of the elected division committee members came from our team. The same anomaly occurred in AMK; the Chief was defeated, but the Deputy and all committee members from our side won. In the Women’s wing, both the Chief and Deputy were disrupted, yet our Vice Chief and committee slate succeeded,” he explained.
Akmal is not alone in contesting the results. Other high-profile figures such as PKR Communications Director Lee Chean Chung (Petaling Jaya), Deputy Information Chief Chua Wei Kiat (Selayang), and Sungai Siput MP Kesavan Subramaniam have also indicated they will file appeals with the JPP after their defeats.
Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, who lost by 68 votes to actor and director Datuk Afdlin Shauki, has hinted that he may also raise his concerns through formal channels.
The internal party elections, while a routine democratic process within PKR, have once again spotlighted the ongoing tensions and complexities of grassroots party dynamics, particularly as the party seeks to maintain unity and momentum ahead of future national political challenges. -MalayaDailyToday
