AYER KEROH: PKR acknowledges that some of its members have applied to leave the party to join Bersama, but the departures have not affected its operations or organisational strength, says party Youth chief Muhammad Kamil Abdul Munim.
He said the number of members who had joined the party formed by former PKR leader Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli was not significant.
“Some members gave the reason that they had lost confidence in the party and were joining the party established by Rafizi, but it has certainly not affected the functioning of PKR as an organisation,” he said at the launch of the PKR Youth and Wanita Keadilan congress here yesterday.
On PKR’s political strategy, Kamil said the party must ensure its efforts were more organised, systematic, structured and targeted, particularly as it was now part of the Federal Government.
He said PKR could not rely on popularity alone to win elections and must return to the grassroots to rebuild public trust.
“I believe everyone agrees that our strength at the grassroots level is not yet strong enough for us to translate that into electoral victories.
“This requires us to look inward, reflect and ask ourselves whether we have done our best to ensure the continuity of, and continue carrying, the torch of the reform struggle.”
Kamil said the challenges faced by the reform movement when PKR was in the opposition were different from those it faced now as part of the government.
“You must remember that we started contesting elections in 1998, riding on a wave of public support.
“Ten years later, in 2008, we created a new wave and, for the first time, denied Barisan Nasional its two-thirds majority in Parliament.
“Therefore, do not lose hope. Accept this bitter reality. The people have given us a clear signal, and this requires us to rise again, speak on behalf of the people and reassess our approach and strategies.”
