My vision has not wavered
ZAID IBRAHIM
PRESS STATEMENT
My announcement yesterday to withdraw from the contest was not meant to belittle the effort of party members and supporters in preparation of these party elections, as this is not just about my circumstance. The truth is, these Keadilan elections are a shambles.
Hundreds of complaints have been submitted, but Anwar Ibrahim continues to deny them proper investigation. There are over a hundred candidates who wish to see a proper and fair election process in place. This is as much their fight as it is mine. For it is important to remember that these issues exist and they are very real.
Yesterday, Anwar Ibrahim had demanded that proof be brought forward of election fraud and malpractices to the Central Election Committee. But this has already been done. The Central Committee is well aware of what’s going on; Anwar should stop playing politics and the pretending must stop. A summary of these malpractices have been furnished to members of the media present today.
The disappointment I referred to yesterday is reflected in the party leadership not being able, or willing, to conduct free and fair elections. It is not because our politics have failed, but rather because our leaders have failed. Anwar Ibrahim, as the de facto leader of the party, has failed to hold the party together. Like how he has failed to move the Opposition forward with new policies, like how he had failed on September 16, like how he had failed to keep the Perak Opposition intact by allowing his own MPs to jump ship, like how he had the Opposition humiliated and in disarray in Batu Sapi. The litany of his failures are plenty. There have been too many external problems and internal complications, resulting in no real focus towards moving the party forward. How these elections have been conducted is a manifestation of that weak leadership and lack of focus. Of course, he can continue to blame me, political conspiracies and BN to explain his failings but the people know better.
Keadilan has to be a genuine political movement. We cannot just be an emotional response to the politics of Malaysia. This party should neither be used as a platform for personal political agendas, nor should it be a space for power plays and politicking. We need a party that is forward looking, based on issues that affect the people, and dealing with actual problems that are facing the country. Keadilan has an option: to ask Anwar to step aside and let someone else takes over the helm. He has enough personal problems of his own to manage. As for Azmin, the verdict is still out on his leadership: he seems so focused on trying to conquer Putrajaya, that he has forgotten how to be of service to the members of the party and the rakyat. Pakatan Rakyat is running the risk of being a one-term wonder. It needs to be acknowledged that Pakatan Rakyat will make no further progress with Anwar at the helm.
I do not wish to get into a slinging match with him because I am behind in the polls. I do not criticize the party because I am not getting my way, as some of you would like to believe. That is far too simplistic a notion. I have not quit because I have given up. It is as Abraham Lincoln once said, “I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live by the light that I have. I must stand with anybody that stands right, and stand with him while he is right, and part with him when he goes wrong.”
My vision has not wavered. It was the reason I ran. It was made clear in my manifesto. I was running to move PKR away from the old politics of this country. To decentralize the leadership of the party. To ensure that every voice is heard and that every member of the party can serve and contribute. Those who say that I have exhausted my options in Malaysian politics cannot be further from the truth.
When I set out to contest in the party elections it was to offer the members of Parti Keadilan Rakyat an option; a new vision, for both the party and the country. I still have a very clear vision of how the politics in this country needs to be transformed and very definite views on what leadership means. I still believe the people of this country deserve better politics and better leaders.
If I am not able to make headway in transforming Keadilan in these elections, it doesn’t mean that I have failed. It means that I will try another way and will explore all possible options and avenues to ensure this transformation is achieved. I will continue to do so because I am committed to the task at hand and for the work that lies ahead. The members of the public, deserve better. And I will try and try again until we achieve our cause.
