JPP chairman Rashid Din said the committee had undertaken a thorough internal investigation into all staff members.

“We state here very firmly that to date, there has been no involvement from among JPP staff or workers at the central JPP secretariat in any activities that go against the rules and ethics of these party polls.

“We would like to reiterate that we take such wrongdoings seriously and will not tolerate them,” he said in a press conference at the party headquarters here today.

Rashid also said the JPP would continue monitoring the workers involved in the voting process, which starts at the end of the week and ends on Oct 28.

He was responding to the arrest of two PKR members to assist in investigations into alleged money politics in the nomination of a PKR branch leader in Kedah.

The case is being investigated under Section 16(a)(A) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009 which deals with the corrupt solicitation, receipt or agreement to receive any gratification as an inducement or reward.

One of the two men, who is the Kedah PKR polls coordinator, has been suspended.

Rashid reiterated that the party’s election process in Kedah was unaffected by the arrests, adding that a replacement had already been identified.

“The person is already carrying out his duties,” he added.

The voting process for the party polls kicks off in the northern states this weekend on Sept 22 and 23, with a total of 171,424 members eligible to vote in Penang, Kedah, Perlis and Perak.

On the possibility that the party elections would be postponed due to the Port Dickson by-election, which incoming party president Anwar Ibrahim will be contesting, Rashid said this could not be done.

“The by-election is the by-election. We cannot postpone the party polls. It is already in full swing. Preparations are already 90% complete. We cannot backtrack now.”