PETALING JAYA: PKR’s congress this week comes at a challenging time as the party copes with the departure of its former leaders and scrutinises the poor showings in recent election outings.
The congress starts today and will end on Sunday.
Melaka will again play the host for the congress with the previous one being in 2019, less than two months before the Sheraton Move.
While it was staring at the imminent departure of its key leaders then, the current situation is slightly different as PKR will be holding its first congress after the departure of former party heavyweights Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad and former Subang MP Wong Chen.
The party’s deputy president Nurul Izzah Anwar also recently announced her decision to quit the post.
Melaka is also set to be the next state to hold elections.
Sunday will not only be a climax for the congress but will also see a decision on the future of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s Cabinet.
This is because PKR’s partner in Pakatan Harapan, DAP, will decide during its own congress, also on Sunday, whether to remain in the government.
PKR vice-president Datuk Seri Dr Zaliha Mustafa said the main agenda of the congress is to strengthen the party, especially at the grassroots level, and making sure that PKR remains responsive to the people’s concerns.
“Following the recent outcomes in Sabah, Johor and Negri Sembilan, the grassroots are anxiously waiting to hear from the party leaders, especially the mandate and direction from the President,” she said.
Asked on how the sentiment of the congress is expected to be as this would be the first meeting following the departure of several leaders, Zaliha said the party moves on.
“No particular sentiment. We accept and respect the choices and decisions of individual leaders. We move on. The party’s agenda is bigger than any individual,” she said when contacted.
Party veteran Hassan Abdul Karim said the congress will be a platform to evaluate its heavy defeats in the Johor and Negri Sembilan state elections.
The Pasir Gudang MP said delegates must have the courage to challenge the party leadership and ask what changes in strategy are being planned ahead of the Melaka state election, which could be held as early as September.
He said the delegates must also ask the leadership for a response based on the outcome of the DAP’s congress and the direction forward for the party.
“Finally, delegates must ask Anwar what plans PKR has to produce leaders at the national, state and grassroots levels in preparation for the post-Anwar era, given that Anwar is now 79,” he said.
Ilham Centre executive director Hisommudin Bakar said the most important part of the congress would be whether the party has the courage to conduct an “honest” post-mortem of its electoral failures.
“The party needs to identify new and more competent strategists who understand changes in voter behaviour and have the ability to translate data into effective political strategies,” he said.
Universiti Malaya socio-political analyst Professor Datuk Dr Awang Azman Awang Pawi said the biggest issue is who will comprise the next generation of leadership after Anwar.
“Anwar needs to use this congress to present a recovery plan for PKR ahead of GE16, rather than merely calling for unity.”
