To assert its strength, PKR needs to change
PARTI Keadilan Rakyat, seen by many as the product of one man's political struggle, is finally taking steps to be less beholden to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
ZUBAIDAH ABU BAKAR, NST
| Datin Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail is PKR spokesman |
| Azmin Ali is Anwar’s protege and gaining more power |
The party's recent moves to re-organise itself, reshuffling key tasks among Anwar's trusted people and proposing amendments to its constitution, are, therefore, not unexpected.
Changes that will include more party members in decision-making are under way and could materialise before year's end, subject to approval from the Registrar of Societies.
PKR is looking at limiting the tenure of the party president and increasing the number of elected vice-presidencies to five from the present three. At present, three of the party's five veeps are elected and two are appointed.
"Having eight vice-presidents, including three appointed ones, will enable the party to have more leaders representing the various ethnic communities," says Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, a party strategist redesignated elections director in the reshuffle.
The party also plans to allow members to elect leaders at the central level. PKR is multiracial, but the composition of its membership is not balanced; the greater proportion of Malay members is often reflected in the number of Malay leaders elected to senior party positions.
Since last year, a special party task force has been looking at organisational reforms from the ground up, to remedy weaknesses and to position itself as the dominant voice in the Pakatan Rakyat alliance, which PKR leads with 31 members of Parliaments.
Party leaders realised that it was unhealthy to rely so heavily on the Permatang Pauh MP on internal matters as well as inter-party relations within Pakatan. Unhappiness has been expressed over major decisions in Pakatan being always subject to Anwar's approval.
There have also been complaints of poor networking at the branch, division and state levels, raising fears of poor organisation against a more combative BN under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
The recent change of guard in Umno and BN adds impetus to PKR's proposed reforms, lest the 1.5 million votes it garnered last year swing back to BN in the 13th general election, due in 2013.
"PKR is the main target as it is the glue that holds Pakatan together," a PKR insider was quoted as saying in a recent report on Najib's strategy to win back BN's lost support.
The report said Najib had been working simultaneously on several fronts — economic, financial and political — to consolidate his power base, counter his political enemies and recoup the losses suffered by BN in last year's general elections.
The prime minister's assurance that his 1Malaysia concept will not marginalise any race has shaken PKR and Pakatan.
Anwar was quick to scorn the 1Malaysia concept, criticising on his blog that BN's liberalisation was but a cosmetic measure to arrest the dwindling support of Chinese and Indians.
PKR also sees the need for new faces in the next echelon of leaders, especially with Anwar still facing the sodomy charge brought by former aide Saiful Bukhari Azlan.
If the courts rule against Anwar and he is no longer be able to call the shots in the party, PKR would need an able and acceptable individual to take charge of the party as well as Pakatan Rakyat.
Some PKR leaders view the reshuffle as an attempt to assert more power in Pakatan; others feel it is more an internal re-organisation to counter new challenges.
Anwar has tasked his wife, party president Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, with being the party's spokesman, but there are those in the party who do not see this as designating her as his successor.
Neither is deputy president Dr Syed Husin Ali considered a likely successor.
It is well-nigh impossible that Pas and the DAP, with starkly different ideologies, can work together without PKR playing a mediator role, as Anwar is doing now.
It is well accepted that Anwar is the unifying factor of Pakatan, and many doubt that any other PKR leader can be as effective as Anwar at resolving differences, particularly between Islamist Pas and secular DAP.
In short, PKR needs a figurehead who is not divisive and can command the respect of its allies as well as the rakyat.
There remain those in the party who believe that Wan Azizah, who emerged as a leader in her own right during the six years Anwar spent in prison, can take charge of Pakatan.
They point out that she has never stopped performing her duties as PKR president, despite Anwar having regained the spotlight since his return to Parliament as opposition leader.
But political observers believe Anwar's protege Azmin Ali has the advantage of having worked closely with Anwar and understanding his boss's political thinking.
Azmin has been given a bigger role to play, from being the party's election director to taking charge of a special task force to empower PKR leadership at state and divisional levels.
The task force, which includes all the party vice-presidents and the Youth and Wanita chiefs, is to ensure effectiveness and discipline of state and divisional leaders, MPs and state assemblymen.
Like most other political parties, PKR is also having to adapt to the much-changed political landscape in Malaysia since the 2008 general election.
The party will have to tailor itself to an electorate that now knows who the real boss is in a democratic election.
