Bayan Baru MP Zahrain Mohd Hashim today announced that he has quit from PKR with immediate effect.

He will become an independent member of Parliament but one 'not friendly to BN,' he added.

Word on the political grapevine in Penang had churned late yesterday that Zahrain and three other fellow dissidents of PKR would call a press conference in Kuala Lumpur this morning to make a major announcement.

However, Zahrain was the only PKR MP at the press conference held at 11am at a hotel in Petaling Jaya.

He cited his disappointment with Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and his dissillusionment with PKR and Pakatan as the major reason for his resignation.

Zahrain described Lim's rule in Penang as "chauvanistic, arrogant and communistic'".

He said he was jumping ship because he no longer agree with the "captains" in Pakatan.

According to Zahrain, he does not want to be part of a sinking ship and be blamed by the rakyat for being associated with Pakatan's mockery of the people's trust.

For a fortnight now Zahrain has been courting his party's ire with steadily mounting criticism aimed at Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.

Joining him in this targeting of the Pakatan Rakyat chief executive for Penang were fellow PKR MPs Tan Tee Beng (Nibong Tebal, Penang), Zulkifli Noordin (Kulim Bandar Baru, Kedah) and more recently, Wee Choo Keong (Wangsa Maju, Kuala Lumpur).

The attacks appeared to be coordinated to drive a wedge between DAP and its main Pakatan partner in the Penang state government, PKR.

The drumfire of criticism was timed to exploit the brouhaha in Penang over alleged victimising of unlicensed traders, mainly Malay, by the DAP-led state government.

The Penang Malay Chambers of Commerce, a bastion of support for Umno, has kept up a steady line of fire at Lim for alleged injustice in the handling of the issue.

Unhappy with Anwar

Zahrain (left), the former Penang PKR chief, has been unhappy with party supremo Anwar Ibrahim from the time the latter turned down his request to become the party's candidate for the Penanti by-election in May last year.

Anwar chose his former political secretary Mansor Othman for the poll which was forced when the fumbling Fairus Khairuddin obeyed the PKR supremo's behest to step down.

Once elected, Mansor went on to replace Fairus as deputy chief minister and, from last October, PKR chief for Penang, replacing Zahrain.

Zahrain has also been unhappy with Lim who had ordered that the contract for the management of the Bukit Jambul Golf and Country resort be re-tendered after it was awarded to a “two dollar company.” The Big Four Auditors are here at jobstreet.com. Register and let them select you.

Zahrain was chairman of the board of the Penang Development Corporation company that owns the golf course.