PKR congress: Time for changes
Arfa'eza A AzizPublished: Dec 20, 2005 7:13 PM | Updated: Jan 29, 2008 6:21 PM
Winds of change are expected to sweep through Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) during its upcoming three-day national congress, which kicks-off in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.
Winds of change are expected to sweep through Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) during its upcoming three-day national congress, which kicks-off in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.
Its information chief Tian Chua said the congress - the second since PRM and Keadilan merged - is crucial as it aims to establish PKR as "a force different than other political parties."
"We want to continue convincing people that we are different especially from Umno and Barisan Nasional parties who continue to harp on old issues," he told a press briefing at the party headquarters in Kuala Lumpur today.
According to him, these parties still defend the old brand of racial politics.
PKR's seriousness in realising this, he said, can be found in the congress' theme -'Time for changes'.
"We are not merely talking about seeking changes in the government and its policies but also changes in the opposition, social movement and of course PKR itself. It's both inward and outward looking," he added.
Tian also said the congress, to be held at Istana Hotel, will be a test for the delegates and leaders.
It's a test for our delegates to debate on the issues so that they can be incorporated into the work culture and policy of the party, he added.
Among the issues to be debated are the National Economic Policy, the integrity of the constitution, electoral reform, privatisation of healthcare and education.
The congress, which will start off with the Youth and Wanita meets, will also feature a special address from party adviser Anwar Ibrahim.
Poorly organised?
On the ground, however, members are fuming over the last-minute decisions and poor planning of the congress.
One division leader claimed that he received the invitation letter - backdated to Oct 28, 2005 - last week.
"The last minute notification will not help the divisions to competently mobilise delegates to attend the congress," he lamented.
Due to poor preparations only half of the delegates have confirmed their attendance, he said.
"A low attendance would mar Anwar's image. Our enemies will have a field day claiming that he cannot even convince his own supporters to come to an important meet and listen to him."
Another grassroots leader claimed there was no proper committee to handle the screening of motions from divisions.
"No notice of a deadline was given hence only a few divisions managed to send it on time. We don't even know who heads the committee (that oversees motions) if there is any that is.
"What is happening to us? If we cannot handle this properly how can we persuade the people to support us?" he asked.
He said the ill-prepared congress would reflect badly on current secretary general Kamarul Bahrain Abas.
Commenting on this, a party insider said Kamarul's shortcoming was that he is "more of a corporate than political person".
"He does not recognise that the congress is about political positioning. To him preparation means finding the venue, getting souvenir books and listening to the president's speech...that's all. That's his style of management and I'm afraid that we all have to live with it until it improves."
However, he noted that Kamarul must be commended for his open support to the party which is rare among corporate figures.
"He could always be apolitical like his other corporate friends. But he chooses to contribute time and money to the party. Surely that counts for something." he said.
Party's limitations
Responding to the complaints, Tian conceded that the party was facing some limitations in preparing for the congress. But according to him, the situation is not serious.
The difficulty in getting confirmation on the venue had hampered the process of informing the divisions about the congress, he said.
"Most of the divisions were informed of the date but because of the venue the actual notice was not sent as fast as we had wanted to. However, the notices were sent within the time frame set in the constitution," he added.
As for handling the motions, he said it was being done by a committed headed by vice-president R Sivarasa.
"I was told that the divisions took their time in submitting the motions and before the committee could get to work, attention was diverted by the Pengkalan Pasir by-election," he explained.
Despite the time constraints, he said the supreme council managed to meet on Sunday to approve several motions.
"So everything is settled. We have sent the approved motions to the printers and delegates will be able to read them on Dec 22."
PKR has 163 divisions and each is allowed to send a maximum of 12 delegates and five observers. To date a total of 1,482 delegates have confirmed their attendance.
Its information chief Tian Chua said the congress - the second since PRM and Keadilan merged - is crucial as it aims to establish PKR as "a force different than other political parties."
"We want to continue convincing people that we are different especially from Umno and Barisan Nasional parties who continue to harp on old issues," he told a press briefing at the party headquarters in Kuala Lumpur today.
According to him, these parties still defend the old brand of racial politics.
PKR's seriousness in realising this, he said, can be found in the congress' theme -'Time for changes'.
"We are not merely talking about seeking changes in the government and its policies but also changes in the opposition, social movement and of course PKR itself. It's both inward and outward looking," he added.
Tian also said the congress, to be held at Istana Hotel, will be a test for the delegates and leaders.
It's a test for our delegates to debate on the issues so that they can be incorporated into the work culture and policy of the party, he added.
Among the issues to be debated are the National Economic Policy, the integrity of the constitution, electoral reform, privatisation of healthcare and education.
The congress, which will start off with the Youth and Wanita meets, will also feature a special address from party adviser Anwar Ibrahim. Poorly organised?
On the ground, however, members are fuming over the last-minute decisions and poor planning of the congress.
One division leader claimed that he received the invitation letter - backdated to Oct 28, 2005 - last week.
"The last minute notification will not help the divisions to competently mobilise delegates to attend the congress," he lamented.
Due to poor preparations only half of the delegates have confirmed their attendance, he said.
"A low attendance would mar Anwar's image. Our enemies will have a field day claiming that he cannot even convince his own supporters to come to an important meet and listen to him."
Another grassroots leader claimed there was no proper committee to handle the screening of motions from divisions.
"No notice of a deadline was given hence only a few divisions managed to send it on time. We don't even know who heads the committee (that oversees motions) if there is any that is.
"What is happening to us? If we cannot handle this properly how can we persuade the people to support us?" he asked.
He said the ill-prepared congress would reflect badly on current secretary general Kamarul Bahrain Abas.
Commenting on this, a party insider said Kamarul's shortcoming was that he is "more of a corporate than political person".
"He does not recognise that the congress is about political positioning. To him preparation means finding the venue, getting souvenir books and listening to the president's speech...that's all. That's his style of management and I'm afraid that we all have to live with it until it improves." However, he noted that Kamarul must be commended for his open support to the party which is rare among corporate figures.
"He could always be apolitical like his other corporate friends. But he chooses to contribute time and money to the party. Surely that counts for something." he said.
Party's limitations
Responding to the complaints, Tian conceded that the party was facing some limitations in preparing for the congress. But according to him, the situation is not serious.
The difficulty in getting confirmation on the venue had hampered the process of informing the divisions about the congress, he said.
"Most of the divisions were informed of the date but because of the venue the actual notice was not sent as fast as we had wanted to. However, the notices were sent within the time frame set in the constitution," he added.
As for handling the motions, he said it was being done by a committed headed by vice-president R Sivarasa.
"I was told that the divisions took their time in submitting the motions and before the committee could get to work, attention was diverted by the Pengkalan Pasir by-election," he explained.
Despite the time constraints, he said the supreme council managed to meet on Sunday to approve several motions.
"So everything is settled. We have sent the approved motions to the printers and delegates will be able to read them on Dec 22."
PKR has 163 divisions and each is allowed to send a maximum of 12 delegates and five observers. To date a total of 1,482 delegates have confirmed their attendance.
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