KUALA LUMPUR – Whoever is elected to PKR’s top leadership in its coming election will have the tough task of addressing mounting calls for the political outfit to expand its cooperation and alliance beyond just the current Pakatan Harapan (PH) components.
Several party members have expressed the need for PKR as well as PH to seek new partners for a better shot at securing Putrajaya in the coming general election, which is due by mid-next year, but rumoured to take place within the next 12 months.
Barring any last-minute changes, PKR is set to hold its internal polls within this quarter, or at the latest, next. The party last held its elections in 2018.
Once this is completed, the bigger question of political cooperation can then be expected to take centre stage when the party meets for its annual general assembly, the last one before the general election.
PKR’s last national congress was held last June. It is unclear yet if it will hold its election and annual meet concurrently this time round.
Speaking to The Vibes, PKR founding member Syed Husin Ali said it would be “a good idea” for the party leadership and PH to expand their cooperation to include more parties under a bigger opposition tent ahead of the general election.
In particular, the veteran politician is hoping PH will be able to form an alliance with the Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal-led Warisan – which recently announced its peninsular expansion – and Muda, which is spearheaded by Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman.
“This will give us a better chance at the national polls. But I hope whatever cooperation we make won’t divide the opposition too much.”
United without ‘frogs’
Talks of a possible alliance among all opposition parties have been afloat for months – with some within PH said to be in favour of a cooperation with parties including Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s Pejuang – but nothing concrete has been established.
The hesitation for a formal partnership could be down to the issue of trust, after Dr Mahathir’s former party Bersatu and several PKR leaders pulled the plug on PH two years ago during the infamous Sheraton Move, triggering the collapse of the then government.
On PKR’s own position, Syed Husin, who is a political bureau member and advisory council deputy chairman, said the party has been more united since “political frogs” like Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali left, and said the coming internal elections will bring about further unification, with a few names set to rise through the ranks.
PKR currently has a number of vacancies among the top leadership, including the positions of deputy president and vice-president.
While Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is expected to hold on to his presidency uncontested, the party will see new faces taking up some of the other posts, with individuals like Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, Datuk Seri Shamsul Iskandar Md Akin, and Fahmi Fadzil set to vie for positions.
PKR vice-president Chua Tian Chang, or Tian Chua, is similarly hoping the new leadership will look to solidify the party and PH’s position through the establishment of new pacts.
“I always believe in the need for a broad coalition in order to win the election, whether it is through a merger or by building new alliances. It is something we must explore.
“For me, I’m open to any coalition that will bring us electoral victory.”
PKR needs ‘renewal’, but should be wary of sly politicians
Selayang MP William Leong Jee Keen said the party should consider new cooperation with others that share the same principles, but warned of dishonest quarters that may take advantage.
“I think for the past few years, the lesson we learnt is that we cannot simply jump into bed with anyone. There are people who are not honest, who cooperated with us and later quit to become the prime minister,” he said, in reference to Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
Leong added that following the defections PKR had to endure in the past years and the string of by-election and state election defeats, the party is currently in the midst of “renewing” itself, but stopped short of elaborating.
“The leadership and grassroots are reflecting on what happened and what can be done, and how we can get back to delivering messages to the people. There are good ideas we are cooking up, but I can’t reveal yet. Maybe when the time is ripe.”
Leong, who contested and lost in PKR’s 2018 election for the vice-president’s post, said he has yet to decide whether to vie for any position in the upcoming party elections.
He also urged party members to vote for “policy-seeking leaders” who are truly behind the reform agenda and aim to bring policy changes when PKR heads to the polls, rather than “office-seeking politicians” who only seek position and power.
Meanwhile, PKR central leadership council member Sivarasa Rasiah said any decision for PH to work with other opposition parties as a single force is always welcome, as this will certainly strengthen the alliance.
“It will make us a stronger force as we face Barisan Nasional and Perikatan Nasional. Of course, we will have a bigger chance at capturing Putrajaya.” – The Vibes, January 14, 2022
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