Is PKR as potent as before?
Ian McIntyre, The Heat Online
Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) has its genesis in the political reformation movement known as Reformasi in the late 1990s which sought for justice for former deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who had been sacked, arrested and jailed. It became a political party in 1999 under the name Parti Keadilan Nasional before merging with Parti Rakyat Malaysia in 2003 and becoming known as PKR.
It took part in the 1999 general election, winning five parliamentary seats, only to lose four in the 2004 general election.
But its popularity exploded following the release of Anwar and in the 2008 general election, it won 31 parliamentary seats.
Its former secretary-general Datuk Saifuddin Nasution Ismail has gone on record as saying that up to 2014, some 500,000 people had joined the party.
Of these, 15% were Chinese, 50% Malay, 25% Indian and 10% Bumiputera from Sabah and Sarawak. It was supposed to be the “happening” party as it was multi-ethnic and boasted the cream of the Opposition – from civil society activists, student leaders and technocrats, to veteran politicians.
The combination led the Opposition into upsetting the odds in both that general election and the one after, in 2013.
The fact that PKR is now here to stay is a foregone conclusion. The real question is whether it is able to wrest parliamentary control from long-time ruler Barisan Nasional (BN) with its allies?
To do well in the next elections, PKR needs to do some serious soul searching, as years of politicking had crept in amidst accusations of nepotism and cronyism. The party is, by all accounts, a poor shadow of itself, what more without the charismatic Anwar, who is back in jail, to steer it.
Some blame BN for PKR’s failings and point to Anwar’s controversial jailing as an excuse. But certain quarters within the party had also stressed that it has itself to blame for its malaise.
As Anwar lays incarcerated for over 200 days, his party remains unsteady owing to a combination of internal and external events.
Gone are individuals who had soldiered on for the party in its infancy, such Saifuddin, who now lectures at overseas institutions.
Another party stalwart, the former Selangor mentri besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, is in a political wilderness after his removal from the post. He has since left the party, but remains an independent MP.
There is talk of a rift between Anwar’s family – specifically his wife and party president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, and daughter Nurul Izzah, the Pantai Dalam MP and party vice-president, with Azmin Ali, the deputy president and current Selangor Mentri Besar.
Caught in the middle are party strongmen such as secretary-general and Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli, Batu MP Tian Chua, and national strategist and Bayan Baru MP Sim Tze Tzin.
Conversations with former PKR leaders such as Jason Ong Khan Lee, S. Raveentharan and Yusmadi Yusoff, revealed that factional politics has continued to haunt the party.
Stressing that they are not bitter over their ouster from the party’s leadership ranks, the trio, who are all lawyers, offered frank views that were substantiated by other grassroots’ leaders.
According to them, the party is struggling to emerge from its rut, which is made worse with the breaking up of the Pakatan Rakyat coalition of PAS, DAP and itself.
However, all three are quick to add that the party’s fortunes will improve if it makes an effort to put personality conflicts and internal politics aside to reform itself.
The first thing the party should do is to move away from the politics of patronage and embrace the concept of performance. It should reward those who showed strong leadership, rather than saddle themselves mere cronies.
PKR also needs to recapture the imagination of younger voters to boost its clout as the party that could gather thousands of supporters to carry their message for reforms and justice.
Today, even with the help of civil societies, the party is unable to draw the mega crowds to its street rallies and protests as it did back in 2008 and 2013, or even when it first emerged in 1998.
To add to its woes, PKR’s relationship with PAS is somewhat strained, similar to the latter’s relationship with the DAP, especially in states other than Selangor.
PKR must quickly address its political challenges and mend fences with PAS to soften the blow of losing that party in the ever changing Malaysian political landscape.
In Selangor, the three parties hold an informal pact to continue governing the country’s richest state. The fact that such internal strife within PKR and PAS is happening at a time when the country is gripped with the 1MDB mega scandal which implicates Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is cause for concern, as much opportunities are being lost.
As it is, PKR is unable to muster huge crowds to challenge BN. Now, it is also fractured with internal strife, just as the coalition which it led has disintegrated and no longer exists.
The trio says PKR needs to return to its original struggle and forget about exploiting the weaknesses of their opponents.
PKR needs to be strong on its own, rather than wait to exploit the misery of other political parties, or depend on the support base of PAS or DAP. Only then, can it live up to its potential as a mainstream party that’s fighting for the people.
