GEORGE TOWN – PKR should continue to pursue its own reform agenda to prepare for the 15th general election, as moderate-standing parties will be facing bigger challenges according to most accounts, said PKR legal bureau head Mohd Yusmadi Yusoff.
Yusmadi said that contrary to current perceptions, the multiracial party is not done and dusted yet, despite suffering consecutive losses in Melaka and Sarawak.
“It is only when PKR is pushed to the corner that it fights back with vigour.
“We are a party born from reformists. The party comprises people who do not accept the status quo easily, especially when the country suffers as a result of it,” he said during an interview with The Vibes recently.
Yusmadi, who is plotting his own comeback trail, suggested that the party has an internal reform agenda that includes reaching out to the young, asking those who have lost faith to politely leave, and to consolidate its strength as a moderate and reform-oriented party.
“Reform agendas around the world have taken decades. Look at Nelson Mandela’s struggle.
“Along the journey, many people, including family members, may give up or lose faith, but the struggle to change for the better is always worthwhile when it succeeds,” he added.
Yusmadi referred to South Korea’s own reform movement called the “586 generation”, whose liberal views were opposed by conservatives, but whose relentless fight gave birth to a progressive and highly industrialised nation today.
Offering his analysis of the Sarawak election where PKR garnered zero seats, Yusmadi said the state is historically dominated by parochial politics.
“It is no wonder that peninsular parties, with the slight exception of DAP, did not win any seats. The same applies to Amanah, PAS, or Bersatu.
“It is tolerable if the parties who win go on to serve the state well, but there have been instances where corruption was said to be prevailing.
“This is why PKR wants to contest. Wherever there is corruption, we are there to oppose it as it is a virus that can unsettle the country. Like Covid-19, it can easily infect others,” he said.
Over time, Yusmadi said, the majority of the Sarawakians will buy into the need for reforms because the present status quo has not taken the country anywhere.
"The country needs reform, more than ever.
“This agenda is not about personalities but a just cause to ensure the country changes from a post-colonial mentality to one driven by justice and helping the needy,” he added. – The Vibes, December 21, 2021
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