KUALA LUMPUR – PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim needs to provide a clear direction to his party if he wants to avoid further cracks following the Sheraton Move last year.
Speaking to The Vibes after PKR’s first virtual congress yesterday, Singapore Institute of International Affairs senior fellow Oh Ei Sun said this year’s congress is one of consolidation, and noted the possibility that the party is heading in the right direction.
“The consolidation is, in a sense, that a lot of members and senior members have left the party (following the Sheraton Move), and also a number of MPs left in recent months.
“How do they achieve consolidation? Perhaps by taking over the government again or winning further support in the next general election (GE).
“That said, moving forward, Anwar needs to put some sort of road map to address issues involving the departure of many members in the party.”
Oh said the exit of several key party members is attributed to the party leadership failing to present a road map or an ultimate goal in the long run.
“The factions within PKR and aftermath of the Sheraton Move have put the party’s original struggles into question.
“That is why some senior members who have long been with Anwar, such as Datuk Xavier Jayakumar, chose to leave the party.
“There is also Julau MP Larry Sng; he and his father were close to Anwar for a long time, and Sng, too, left.
“These are not people in (Datuk Seri Mohamed) Azmin (Ali’s) camp. They were traditional Anwar supporters. So, Anwar must take heed of this,” said Oh, warning that failure to do so will see further division.
“For the longest time, PKR has been a conglomerate of various political interests. There are those who left Umno, those from the Hindu Rights Action Force, non-governmental organisations and Chinese with English-educated background, for that matter.
“And they congregated within the fold with different aims and motives. So, it is particularly vulnerable when there is no clear direction.”
Oh said the decision to keep all posts left vacant by those who quit PKR until the next party polls is a step in the right direction.
“You do not want to see members fighting for those positions. The immediate focus is the direction of the party.
“Working with Umno, for example, is it aiming (to cooperate with Umno) during the next GE or for a change of government before the next GE? Party members need to know this and not be informed at the 11th hour.”
On the future of the East Malaysia PKR chapters, Oh said Sarawak PKR has to rebuild from the bottom up, as it currently appears to be in total disarray with a lack of leadership.
“And Sabah PKR needs to move beyond power struggles among major personalities and reach out to the grassroots.”
Political analyst Khoo Kay Peng told The Vibes that Anwar needs to show that he still has the vision, vigour and support to lead not just PKR, but also Pakatan Harapan, as the No. 1 choice for prime minister.
“It is necessary for the party to regroup and recalibrate after the Sheraton Move. He has lost a bit of his glitter since (then) and a few failed attempts at toppling the Perikatan Nasional government.”
Khoo also warned that cracks will remain if Anwar continues to place his trust in the “wrong people”.
“He needs to prove he is able to attract new and capable talents.”
PKR’s national congress, which was supposed to take place on June 6, was held virtually and followed by about 2,000 delegates due to the implementation of the movement control order, which is still in force.
It was held yesterday after being ordered to be postponed by the National Security Council and Registrar of Societies on June 4.
Anwar’s policy and closing speech, which touched on the Covid-19 crisis in the country, said Malaysia will get out of the crisis only by speeding up the vaccination process.
PKR secretary-general Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail had earlier announced that the national congress for 2021 and 2022 will be held simultaneously next year given the present circumstances.
The central leadership council has agreed to not fill some vacant posts at the central level until party polls are held, he added.
The matter was decided at a meeting on May 1, Bernama reported him as saying. The vacancies include the posts of deputy president, vice-president and council members.
“With this, the running of the party at the central level will remain the status quo,” said Saifuddin Nasution.
Former deputy president Azmin and former vice-president Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin left PKR last year, while Xavier announced his resignation as vice-president and departure from the party in March. – The Vibes, June 21, 2021
