PETALING JAYA: Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) members have lambasted Kulim Bandar Baru MP Zulkifli Noordin for his "shocking" statements over a TV3 interview.

They have also cautioned the controversial lawyer to toe party line and adhere to the gag order decision of the disciplinary board.

They said this was to prevent giving the impression that there were cracks in the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) coalition.

Zulkifli, they said, should refrain from making statements to worsen the situation.

Selangor Menteri Besar Tan  Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim told The Malay Mail that PR had always practised fairness and thus, statements made by Zulkifli in the hour-long TV3 show Soal Jawab on Monday were shocking.

"These statements shouldn't be made against a member of his own party," he said.

Khalid said PKR, Pas and DAP had an agreement that there would be fairness and no one party would monopolise any State or issue.

PKR Youth exco member Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said: "PR is for everyone, regardless of their beliefs and race. Statements like, 'when we raise issues related to Malays, Muslims and Islam, they (DAP) call us fundamentalists, but it's all right for them to raise Chinese issues' are entirely untrue. It makes us look bad," he said.

Subang MP and PKR vice-president R. Sivarasa said statements attacking member parties of the coalition were uncalled for and unacceptable. "This can be considered a breach of discipline in the party," he said.

Another PKR vice-president, Mustafa Kamil Ayub, said the issue of DAP showing its true colours did not arise.

"If he indeed said what has been reported, it's a little too much. Sure, we have differences of views and opinions on some issues. What's important is that we have proper channels to address them.

"We will meet on Feb 15 and discuss the kind of action the disciplinary board will take against Zulkifli," he said.

Zulkifli, in the Feb 8 interview, had referred to DAP as a "thorn in the coalition" and said Pakatan did not need DAP because the party was showing its true colours.

This, he had claimed, was evident in Penang.

He had told the host, Datuk Ahmad A. Talib, that he believed things would improve if all three Malay-based parties — Umno, Pas and PKR — put up a united front.

Too much politicking, he said, had caused instability among Malays in the three parties.

Zulkifli had also said that while he would not be surprised if many decided to leave PKR, he had no intention of doing so.