PKR: Which way out?

Anwar is very different today from the time around 2008, having been depleted of his erstwhile charms and charisma. He has aged by a lot more than five years since then! I have not heard anything new from him of late, nor seen him proclaim his political visions. Even in the Parliament sitting, he just lacks what makes a powerful opposition leader.

By Tay Tian Yan, Sin Chew Daily

It’s been over a week now, and Chua Jui Meng continues to be the most celebrated figure out of touch in this country.

From the moment Lim Kit Siang made public his desire to contest in Gelang Patah on March 18, Mr Chua has been out of everyone’s radar as if he has suddenly evaporated from the Malaysian politics for good.

PKR’s Johor chairman, Chua is also the highest ranking Chinese representative in the party. With Johor now earmarked as Pakatan Rakyat’s frontline state in the coming general election, this gentleman should have been very, very busy by now.

Pakatan leaders are seen going about places in the state, but the PKR state chairman is just nowhere in sight.

Sure enough anyone in his shoe would feel dejected. He has wanted to contest in Gelang Patah, but the constituency is now Kit Siang’s, and that announcement was made by none other than his own boss Anwar Ibrahim.

He was trying to go back to his Bakri, but DAP put it forthright: “No way!”

Even as his party tried to get him some not-that-safe places such as Segamat, DAP was still unconvinced: “For what?”

If he is eventually driven into a corner, he will very likely, as many have predicted, quit PKR. But then where else can he go? MCA? Not a chance!

To be honest, the political future of Chua Jui Meng is of hardly any concern to me. When I last met him, subconsciously I found myself very difficult to associate him with Pakatan Rakyat. The Pakatan jargon spluttered out of his mouth just sounded so un-Pakatan.

I could feel deep in my heart that what he had experienced was a true reflection of what Anwar and PKR had gone through.

For so many years PKR has been seen as a party “lacking winning chances” that even its allies in Pakatan would view with disdain.

Anwar is very different today from the time around 2008, having been depleted of his erstwhile charms and charisma. He has aged by a lot more than five years since then!

I have not heard anything new from him of late, nor seen him proclaim his political visions. Even in the Parliament sitting, he just lacks what makes a powerful opposition leader.

Whether you like it or not, you cannot overlook the fact that he did indeed shine brightly before, especially with his cross-ethnic political discourse, proposals for economic reforms and his advocacy for religious tolerance, among others.

But the glow, like the new year firework that illuminates the night sky high above, lasts no more than a few seconds.

There are many reasons for this. Firstly, he was worried the Malay society could not keep up with the new mentality and that he could get dislodged from the Malay society. Somehow he needed the Malay votes more than anything else.

And when he started to hesitate and slow down, he was soon overtaken and outshone by his opponents.

Secondly, his past experiences in the government made him less trustworthy in the Chinese community, while his Umno background made him anything but acceptable among PAS supporters. And his pluralistic remarks have sort of alienated him from the Malay conservatives.

Thirdly, sandwiched between the rival factions within his own party, he has lost his sense of direction.

PKR is the weakest component in the opposition pact, one that would find itself conveniently targeted by rivals. Squeezed between DAP and PAS, its space is fast diminishing under the mounting pressure from its allies.

If the party performs poorly in the 13th general election, it may find itself engulfed in no time.

But then what is Pakatan sans PKR?