SEREMBAN: The Port Dickson PKR division election due in April is set to be an explosive affair with incumbent chief Datuk M. Ravi likely to be challenged by Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun (pic).

       This came after Aminuddin, who was previously the Tampin PKR head, confirmed that he had moved his membership to Port Dickson in January.

       "In politics, it is normal to move from one place to another.

       "We have had outsiders who had contested for positions in Negri Sembilan and members from here who had contested in other places like Perak and Selangor," he told reporters after chairing the state exco meeting at Wisma Negri on Wednesday (March 2).

       Prior to becoming Tampin PKR chief, Aminuddin was in the party's Seremban division.

       Aminuddin, who was also state PKR chief, said the decision to move his membership was made by him and did not come from the party.

       Asked if he would be contesting for the post of division chairman, Aminuddin, in jest, said he had yet to fill up the form.

       He went on to add that contests were good for democracy.

       "We should celebrate democracy and allow contests. Members have the right to vote or to offer themselves for positions," he said, adding that candidates should always close ranks and accept the outcome of such contests.

       Asked if PKR members in Port Dickson were happy with him moving his membership there, Aminuddin said some would be happy and some probably not.

       "I discussed this with some friends - whether I should move to PD and they said why not," he said.

       Asked about talk that he would also contest the Port Dickson parliamentary seat now held by party president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Aminuddin said people had the tendency to dwell on these things.

       "Some people tend to go into overdrive mode but that’s the dynamics of politics.

       "They are free to interpret things their way if they wish to," he said, adding that he had not even given this a thought.

       Ravi, who was also state Deputy Speaker, said he had no knowledge of Aminuddin moving his membership to Port Dickson.

       He only realised this while going through the list of members in the division recently.

       "We then checked with the party headquarters and they confirmed it.

       "Aminuddin never discussed this with me," he said, adding that he was, however, prepared to defend his position.

       Ravi, who was into his third term as Sri Tanjung assemblyman, was also state PKR deputy chief.

       He was one of four state PKR assemblymen who had in September claimed that many party supporters were unhappy with Aminuddin's performance as state party chief.

       The others were Datuk Dr Mohamad Rafie Ab Malek (Ampangan), Datuk Ismail Ahmad (Labu) and Datuk Michael Yek (Chuah).

       They had expressed hope that Anwar would step in and resolve the matter.

       Anwar, after a meeting with the assemblymen, said they had agreed to work as a team and put aside whatever differences they had.