PETALING JAYA: The two mainstay parties of Pakatan Harapan will hold their annual gatherings this weekend in what is largely seen as “post-electoral recalibration exercises” to chart their direction ahead of the next general election.
PKR’s national congress, which will be held in Melaka on Aug 15 and 16, is meant to renew the spirit of the “reformasi” movement so that it remains relevant in addressing contemporary challenges.
As for DAP, its national congress in Putrajaya on Aug 16 will see delegates deciding whether the party should stay with the unity government until its current term ends in December of next year.
He said PKR would need to confront organisational, leadership and electoral weaknesses exposed by the state elections in Johor and Negri Sembilan.
This would include strengthening its grassroots network, choosing better candidates and demonstrating that “reformasi” still matters while it is in government, he said.
As for DAP, he said the party would assess whether its participation in government had weakened its reformist identity.
“DAP’s decision on government positions would be politically significant even if it remains in Pakatan and continues supporting Anwar,” he said, referring to Pakatan chairman Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
“A decision to withdraw would weaken the government’s political legitimacy and signal a loss of confidence, while remaining with government could come with stronger conditions and greater policy distance from the administration,” he said.
He said one option for DAP was to withdraw from the Cabinet to show its grassroots supporters that the party was responding to growing dissatisfaction with its participation in government.
The party has five ministers and seven deputy ministers in Anwar’s administration.
Wong said the most viable option for PKR is to revert to a stronger stand against corruption and greater differentiation from Umno.
Universiti Malaya socio-political analyst Prof Datuk Dr Awang Azman Awang Pawi said the DAP’s secret ballot on whether its leaders should remain in government would be closely watched, especially the size of the vote.
He said Nurul Izzah’s decision to step down as deputy president but granted temporary leave instead had added another issue to the PKR congress.
“It raises a broader question about whether PKR has enough strong leaders beyond Anwar and whether the party can develop and retain the next generation of leaders,” he said.
This week would also see another consequential event: a special Parliament sitting tomorrow to debate the RCI report on Tabung Haji that includes its recommendation for a forensic audit of past investments of the fully government-owned Islamic institution.
The report had made headlines following the Cabinet’s move on July 29 to declassify the document.
Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research senior fellow Dr Azmi Hassan said MPs should focus on holding past failures accountable and ensuring the RCI’s recommendations are implemented.
He noted that the government had shown political will by releasing the report and identifying those who should be held accountable for the failures it highlighted.
International Islamic University Malaysia political scientist Assoc Prof Dr Syaza Shukri said Parliament should scrutinise the implementation of the RCI’s recommendations.
“The special sitting should provide a mechanism for the government and TH to demonstrate that the reforms have addressed the weaknesses,” she said.
