Team Abim fields candidate for PKR’s No 2

By Adib Zalkapli

October 01, 2010

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 1 — PKR vice-president Mustaffa Kamil Ayub has finally declared his intention to contest the party deputy presidency, paving the way for a three-cornered fight with Datuk Zaid Ibrahim and Azmin Ali. The former president of a Muslim students group, PKPIM, is seen to be leading a major faction in the party made of former leaders of influential Islamic youth group Abim.
He told  a press conference here today that he would continue the legacy of outgoing deputy president Senator Dr Syed Husin Ali.
Mustaffa was part of the Team Abim led by its former president Dr Muhammad Nur Manuty in Parti Keadilan Nasional’s first party election in 2001.
The party later took in ex-members from Parti Rakyat Malaysia and changed its name to Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR).
Muhammad Nur, however, lost the contest for party presidency, joining other former Abim leaders who were wiped out in the election.
Mustaffa also lost the contest for the PKR Youth deputy chief in 2001.
Abim leaders, who played a major role in the 1998 Reformasi movement, found themselves in a tough position when former Umno leaders in the party turned the contest into “Abim versus Keadilan” fight.
The outcome of the election resulted in the Abim leaders rejecting appointments to the party’s supreme council.