There are great expectations for the country's new political entity Parti Keadilan Rakyat. But will it be a winning formula or a calamity?

Malaysiakini readers have the opportunity to find out more at 9pm tonight at a chat session with two of its top leaders - transitional secretary-general Abdul Rahman Othman and vice-president R Sivarasa.

Former Keadilan deputy president Abdul Rahman and former PRM vice-president Sivarasa will go online for about an hour to field questions from malaysiakini subscribers.

The new opposition entity was launched on Aug 3 after almost two years of dispute-riddled negotiations as not all in the fledgling Keadilan or the historic PRM welcomed the move

Its future is still mired in doubt but if the powerful Registrar of Societies approves its registration, the upcoming polls will prove to be the new party's acid test.

The fusion

Keadilan was formed in 1999 following the sacking and subsequent jailing of ex-deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim. Led by his wife, Dr Wan Azizah Ismail - who now helms the merged entity - it was seen as the beacon of hope for many.

Although plagued by many problems over the years, it has managed to rattle the Barisan Nasional to a certain degree.

It made its political debut by garnering 11.4 percent of the popular votes in the 1999 general election - a major feat for the then six-month-old party.

PRM, headed by Dr Syed Husin Ali - who is now deputy president of the merged party - was formed in 1955. Despite its long presence in Malaysian politics, PRM has recently failed to make any significant electoral impact.

Driven by a socialist ideology, it lacked grassroots support and its members were predominantly academics and professionals.

This led Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad to label it once as a party with 'all leaders but no followers'.

However, the merger with Keadilan may just change things for the veteran opposition party and its leaders.

Maiden chat session

Both Abdul Rahman and Sivarasa will be joining the chat session from malaysiakini's office in Bangsar Utama, Kuala Lumpur.

The malaysiakini chat session was kicked off last month by ex-Internal Security Act detainee Hishamuddin Rais - a colourful film producer cum political activist.

The session, which went on for more than 90 minutes, saw Hishamuddin fielding questions from some 50 participants, and discussing topics on his views regarding secularism, whether he votes and the need to create democratic space in Malaysia.

Click here to go to malaysiakini's chat room. The chat-room discussion is a service available only for subscribers.