(Bloomberg) -- Senior members of Malaysia’s ruling People’s Justice Party called on leader Anwar Ibrahim to stop making “divisive statements,” the clearest sign yet of divisions over whether he should succeed Mahathir Mohamad as prime minister.

The statement, signed by 22 members of the party’s supreme council as well as four members of parliament, comes after Anwar called on his deputy, Minister of Economy Affairs Azmin Ali, to resign if sex videos allegedly featuring him are proven to be true.

“We are of the view that this statement is inappropriate and is based on speculative assertions,” the politicians said in the statement. “He should be focusing on the key issue here, which is that there is an organized attempt to use gutter politics to bring down political leaders.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Anisah Shukry in Kuala Lumpur at ashukry2@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Yudith Ho at yho35@bloomberg.net, Daniel Ten Kate

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