Getting PKR back on track
While many expect tension, Anwar’s presence may help bring unity
The PKR congress that kicks off today is not just about the party. It’s an opportunity to see PM-in-waiting Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim take to the big stage, perhaps to soothe ruffled feathers from the contentious party polls, while hopefully putting one of Pakatan Harapan’s biggest parties back on track to meet its reform and ‘New Malaysia’ agenda.
SHAH ALAM: What’s going to happen during the two-day PKR National Congress which starts today is anyone’s guess.
Some are expecting proceedings to be volatile given the recent party polls which did not lack drama.
Tempers may flare since members of both factions will be under one roof, following the widespread claims of election fraud, money politics, and thuggery during the elections.
Some believe Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s presence at the congress could defuse tension and soothe frayed feelings.
The 71-year-old PKR founder will finally reign as the party president 20 years after he had engineered the reformasi movement following his plunge into political no man’s land in 1998.
Bukit Lanjan assemblyman Elizabeth Wong said members are looking forward to seeing Anwar as the party president for the very first time.
“We are looking forward to hearing him speak at the congress. Of course, we have heard him speak before, but this is the first time he’ll be speaking as the party president,” said Wong.
Trials, court cases and periods behind bars prevented Anwar from helming the party over the last two decades.
And that is why, added Wong, the party created the special title of ketua umum (de facto leader) for him in 2007.
Many PKR leaders are also hoping that the congress will be the
platform where Anwar will bring everyone together and coax them into burying the invisible hatchets they have been wielding since the party polls kicked off.
“We will come together and listen to his vision for the party and the country now that he is on his way to becoming our prime minister, within the next two to three
years,” said Wong.
Unlike past congresses where talk would usually revolve around the party’s success in Selangor as well as its plans to conquer Putrajaya, this year’s convention will address PKR’s future after its 20-year struggle.
Not only is PKR now a component of the federal government, but it
also has the most number of seats in Parliament while also helming the Selangor and Negri Sembilan state governments.
Kapar MP Datuk Abdullah Sani Abdul Hamid also believes debates in this congress will be different from previous years.
“We are now part of the government and whatever is debated must also include the vision and policies, not only for the party but also for the nation’s development and progress,” he added.
Besides calling for everyone to let bygones be bygones and reinstate party unity to forge ahead, Anwar’s biggest task today and tomorrow will be regaining full and complete control of the party which had been built around his larger than life personality.
So much has happened over the years and personalities whose existence had solely revolved around Anwar once upon a time have now emerged as leaders to be reckoned with.
The recent party polls where Anwar was seen as being in support of one faction and the fact that the opposing faction had clinched all the prime positions may also weigh down on the incoming president.
He will now have to make peace and assure everyone that he is on the side of each and every PKR member and not exclusively in support of just a select few.
As for the mayhem that occurred recently, Wong said it was nothing near what had happened during the 2014 party polls.
“It was 10 times more terrible in 2014 when we had people running off with ballot boxes, burning ballot papers as well as throwing chairs and punches,” she said.
Now that PKR is in the driver’s seat, it may have to also review its “Reformasi!” rallying cry that no longer resonates with the party’s current agenda, which is nationbuilding.