'Purging' party could trigger witch-hunt, warns delegate

A Pahang delegate at the PKR annual congress warned that the agenda for cleansing and purging the party of ‘traitors' could bring more harm than good.

In his debate in the "Empowering Democracy" resolution, Ahmad Nizam Abdul Hamid said today that the emergence of a "group of four" and the hearty battle cries to purge the party are based more on brash emotion rather than intellectual reason.

"If there really is a gang of four in the party, it will certainly weaken the party," he said, without naming names nor elaborating.

When approached later, Ahmad Nizam again refused to elaborate on who he was speaking about.

He said that he merely used the example of a gang of four to reflect the political situation in China during former leader Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution in the 1970's.

Historically, the gang of four referred to Mao's wife, Jiang Qing, and three others who had driven the party according to their whims and fancies after Mao's death, causing turmoil in the ruling Communist party then.

Previously, newly elected deputy president Azmin Ali (right) had in a dramatic press conference last week vowed to scour the entire party for ‘traitors', prompting fears that it could trigger a witch hunt for dissenters.

This came high after rival and former PKR Federal Territories Zaid Ibrahim incessant attacks on him as well as on the de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim throughout the campaigning. It continued even after Zaid announced his withdrawal from the party elections.

The long and exhausting party elections had also attracted numerous complaints of irregularities and malpractices. While some key party leaders have opted for the quiet approach of sending in letters to the secretariat, some took a more public route to the extent of organising demonstrations.

No place for demi-gods

In his speech, Ahmad Nizam also voiced out his concerns against the phenomenon of a "deity mindset" within the party.

"Leaders who think that they are deities, have no place in the party. The party is built in the spirit of democracy and reformation," he said.

Ahmad Nizam, who is also the Temerloh division chief, later told reporters that everything he spoke about earlier came with consensus with the grassroots.

Party president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail in her opening speech yesterday had called Anwar - also her husband - God's gift to lead the people, having gone through numerous political turmoil that could have broken a lesser man.