While PKR members are relieved that party adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has warned errant members to toe the line, critics say it is too little and too late.

By BARADAN KUPPUSAMY, The Star

FINALLY, after months of internal squabbling, discord and defections in the PKR, its adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has given the order to the rank and file – shape up or ship out.

Party members are relieved their leader has finally cracked the whip and is trying to restore some semblance of unity in the factious party.

Anwar, at the PKR convention in Penang on Sunday, the first in a series, drew the line for the party, saying he was for valid criticism but would not compromise with leaders who stood against party policies.

“All party members must support the transformation agenda, work for the Pakatan Rakyat or be sacked from the party,” he said.

“Give loyalty to PKR or leave.”

While some said the new theme was better late than never, others felt the tough new line was probably too little and too late in the day.

The PKR, they say, is too much a wayward party for anyone to impose discipline, especially when some of its leaders have consistently shown a penchant for warlord-ism, bordering on the outright disobedient.

Such unruly behaviour has damaged the PKR’s standing among the public and given rise to the perception that the party is disunited, given to constant infighting and drifting, without a firm hand at the oars.

Anwar, the critics say, is preoccupied with his own problems, including the second sodomy charge and in addition, spends more time abroad than in the country to oversee PKR and Pakatan issues.

Increasingly, his absence is felt not just in the PKR but also in the Pakatan, where he is the leading limelight and in Parliament, where as the Opposition Leader, he is expected to lead the charge to check the Barisan Nasional.

Instead, we have often seen the old warhorse, DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang, working his butt off on the opposition bench with newcomers like Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua and others playing an active role assisting him.

In Anwar’s absence, the PKR has been rocked by one squabble after another, and second echelon leaders like Subang MP R. Sivarasa and Batu MP Tian Chua have been left holding the fort, fighting the fires and blaming the media.

From Sabah and Sarawak to Perak, Selangor, Perak and the Federal Territory, PKR leaders have been squabbling publicly, some have resigned and while others have defected to Barisan claiming to be Barisan-friendly independents.

In the key state of Sabah, the deep division in the PKR appears terminal, with Dr Jeffrey Kitingan on a collision course with the party’s leadership in Kuala Lumpur.

He wants autonomy and a free hand to run the state as he thinks fit and sees any direction from the PKR headquarters as interference in Sabah affairs by the “orang Malaya” – a dirty word for Sabahans.

The hope the PKR had placed on Gabriel Adit, the Ngemeh assemblyman, to deliver Sarawak has all but dissipated after he openly defied the party by announcing his intention to leave and form his own party.

PKR hopes are now pinned on human rights lawyer Baru Bian, who PKR sources said, is already weighed down with numerous land rights battles and other environmental issues to concentrate on reviving the PKR’s flagging fortunes.

While the PKR and consequently, Pakatan, squanders the precious mandate given them in 2008 with their inability to unite for a common cause, the Government under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak is making strides winning hearts and minds under the 1Malaysia umbrella.

Even the chattering crowd that derided the concept is beginning to admit that 1Malaysia is not mere talk but is driven by public funds and expansion, and is starting to win over rural people and the urban poor.

Najib has appropriated all of the Pakatan themes of justice, equality and hope, and while the “agenda for change” rhetoric is still coming out of Anwar and Pakatan, it is Najib and the Barisan-led government that is delivering.

In the new emerging landscape, Anwar has a tough job ahead – keep his party disciplined, lead the Pakatan to victory in the next general election and at the same time, overcome all his personal problems.

He can, for starters, match his new tough words with tough action on several PKR leaders who are, for one reason or another, major embarrassments to the party and Pakatan.

Checking the runaway train that is Kulim Bandar Baru MP Zulkifli Nordin, who is on a personal mission to promote Islam, would go far to assure the public that Pakatan is united, speaks with one voice and practises inclusive, multi-ethnic policies.

Despite constant demands by non-governmental organisations and civil society to restrain the MP, Zulkifli continues to defy PKR/Pakatan policies without restrain, not even a rap on his knuckles.

The public, as seen in the blogs and on the Internet, welcome Anwar’s promise to crack the whip, engage his own PKR and repair the damage done to the Pakatan’s image.

But they want action, not more rhetoric, from the charismatic Anwar.

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