KUALA LUMPUR, May 13 -- Setiawangsa PKR division chief Datuk Afdlin Shauki has responded to party deputy president Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli's recent remarks that referred to him as a "professional comedian", stressing that such comments risk undermining the legitimacy of his grassroots mandate.

Afdlin acknowledged Rafizi's contributions to the party and reform movement, but said the characterisation, even if made in jest, carried connotations that could diminish the value of his electoral victory and the support he received from party members.

"I am not ashamed of being called a comedian... but when such labels are used in a context that questions my qualifications and the mandate I received, they take on a different meaning," Afdlin sai...