Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Youth chief Mohd Ezam Mohd Nor assured that his decision to quit politics does not mean he had abandoned the party's struggle for reform.

In an exclusive interview with malaysiakini, he said he wanted to compliment the party's struggle via a non-political platform and reach out to those who fear open association with any opposition parties although they were eager for reforms.

He also spoke about the plans and hopes for Gerak, the movement which he will helm that aims to battle corruption as well as educate the public about democracy.

Malaysiakini: You just started Gerak - a non-governmental organisation to educate the public on democracy and corruption - so how has it been so far?

Mohd Ezam: To be frank, it is beyond expectations especially the response that I got from the young. We started our membership drive through sms ( short-messaging system) and we received a lot of sms where the majority are Chinese youths...from colleges and even form six students. They took the trouble to sms us, gave us their full names and contact details. So that response alone is very encouraging. So for the past month we worked on formulating a programme on a virtual movement. We have almost completed our first stage with the launch of Gerak's official website.

Then we will further explore and formulate ways to attract and communicate through different sms techniques and I think we can expect something new...something good from the movement ...as far as getting people involved in the cause.

I have been in the cause (against corruption) for six to seven years but I have never experienced such an encouraging response from those who are apolitical. For the past seven years I have been dealing with those who are politically active. But now it is totally different. I am dealing with the young - those who are still in school and college students. So it's very encouraging and promising.

So with all these commitments in Gerak, there is a view that you are neglecting PKR Youth?

I think it is a fair perception. I have made myself clear that it is time for me to go. To venture towards new things but remain steadfast with the struggle of reforms for the country. This is also timely because I want to give a clear signal to our society that the youth have to be given due respect and opportunity to lead their movements. In this country, we have "old men" leading youth movements - be it political parties or non-political organisations. This is wrong. If you look at progressive countries we have youth leaders who really represent their peers. I was in Turkey recently and the national youth leader of the country is below the age 30. I think that is my intention. But at the same time, I have found an avenue for me to further strengthen the struggle for reforms in the country and I see Gerak as the platform.

So basically what you are saying is that you have intentionally neglected the Youth wing so as to make way for younger leaders. Does this means the speculation that you established Gerak to break away from the party is true? Another question is whether you're breaking away from the Youth wing or the entire party?

Let me make this clear: I have not neglected the wing or the party. I have been working quietly on the ground preparing (for the younger leaders to take over) It is very difficult for me to make room for the younger leaders and at the same time play a high profile role in the wing. So I decided to take a back seat because I want to promote new leaders and fresh faces in the movement. So I have been preparing for that.

As for the party, I see Gerak as a continuation of the struggle of the party. I see it playing a complimentary role for the party. I see it helping the party to give a clear picture to the people that we are really serious in combatting corruption.

For the past seven years the party and the Youth wing have been seen as championing the cause of one person : Anwar Ibrahim...which is untrue. I believe that the cause (to fight corruption) would be more forceful by providing a non-political platform and giving the signal that we are championing broader issues and not only one person.

So you have been wanting to step down for quite sometime now? Are the party leaders aware of this?

I made it very clear in the last congress. The delegates understood my intention and received it well. Since the congress last December I have been preparing for the transition of leadership process. In the coming weeks and months, the succession will be very clear and the process will take place smoothly.

There was talk that you had once approached Anwar Ibrahim to seek his consent to step down but this was rejected. Is this true?

As individuals, we have our wishes but the party has its own wish. Mine was to end my era as the Youth chief after the release of Anwar. I believed that was the right moment to leave and I made it quite clear that I did not want to run for the Youth chief post in the last party elections (2004).
But a few party leaders, including Anwar, gave many reasons (to reject my request). One of the reasons which was very difficult for me to refuse was to ensure the success of the merger (between Parti Keadilan Nasional and Parti Rakyat Malaysia to form PKR). It was the first election of the merged party and it was pointed out that it was important for me to remain at that time to ensure that the final process of the merger went well. And for the sake of the party I remained.

But when was the last time you spoke to the party leaders about leaving?

We always make big decisions at our national congress. So at the last congress in December, I made my intention known to the leaders. Again I told them that it's time that I left the wing for new faces to take over. They agreed but persuaded me to make it public after the congress. They wanted the congress to be smooth and controversy-free and I agreed with them

So if you had your way, you would have announced your resignation during the last congress?

Yes that's right.

How long more do you see yourself leading the Youth wing?

Technically my term ends in 2007. I have made it very clear that I will not run again. But I am prepared to leave to provide room for the second echelon to take over this year before the coming congress.

As far as the party is concerned, what is your next plan?

I don't have any plans as yet.

So you're not going to view for higher posts such as vice-president perhaps?

I don't have such plans (to go for higher posts). Youth chief will be my last post as far as this party is concerned. I was involved in the establishment of this party from day one, I have been in the political bureau since day one. I was probably the youngest member of a political bureau of a political party in the country as I was only 32 then. I think I have contributed enough here. I see myself contributing in a more broader platform like Gerak. I would like to focus my energy towards creating a force in society to fight corruption and I believe this must be made the biggest battle for our generation.

So you're going to quit the party entirely? You're not maintaining your membership?

I will not quit the party. I will remain as a normal member. You can say that I am going back to being one of the grassroots.

So you're 'throwing in the towel' as far as politics is concerned?

It's time for me to experiment with something new. I want to see whether it is more effective to pursue reforms and changes from outside the political arena. I tried doing it within a party and I see a lot of limitations for opposition politics in this country. We have a society that its very much ignorant of its rights and the basic principles of democracy like freedom of press and expression. So there is a need to go back to and educate them on these issues. So this is it for me as far as politics is concerned. But I will re-consider when the environment improves.

So it's not exactly the end of the road for you. You will come back if the situation improves for opposition parties?

Yes, I certainly will reconsider my position when the situation improves.

Who has been singled out to be the next PKR youth leader?

Well, it's not my choice really but rather the choice of the members... they chose to put Shamsul Iskandar (Mohd Akin) as the number one vice-president of the youth movement. He is considered as representing the young: he's below 35 and has been actively involved in the youth movement for the past couple of years. Many regard him as a natural youth leader for the party. I have full confidence and trust that they will succeed.

The Youth wing seems to be shying away from the limelight. In fact, it is silent - save for a few press statement on the current public debate involving religion and rights. Or was it intentional for the wing to be non-partisan?

No we have our views on issues. But we see the issue relating to religion and rights including the amendment of Aricle 121 (1A) of the Constitution as a very serious debate. It takes long and serious efforts to come up with solutions. Mere reactions - what more emotional ones from party leaders - will not help the situation. So the youths have been working on a long-term plan to settle the contentious issues. But there is a need to discuss with our adviser (Anwar) on the plan that we have come up with before we make it public.

And what about the recruitment of young women into the wing? It does not seem to be encouraging. There are no new faces of late...

I think what happened over the past few years had dampened the spirit of the young to join opposition parties. Not just the women but also the men. The reaction of the youth (to opposition parties) today is not the same to those during the early years of the reformasi movement. What happened to me and many other friends and leaders when we were arrested and detained....I think that made the youth think twice about openly supporting opposition parties.

But things are not as gloomy for the new generation. On the ground, I am confident that there are many who are with us but face limitations to be with us openly. So we are basically trying to find ways to get them involved with minimum risks. In such a repressive environment, recruitment of members is very tough. We can never have huge memberships like those parties allied with the government.

Returning to Gerak, as a well-known opposition politician is it difficult to convince the masses that this movement is not another front for the opposition?

As I said earlier we are also taken by surprise by the positive response we received so far. It shows the people really want to give us a chance. We are getting about 200 registrations (of new members) a week via sms. I think the masses have been waiting for this type of movement... one that works for the cause which is to promote democracy and fight corruption ...but outside the political platform. So I am going to take that chance and put my commitment in proving that Gerak is objective and above partisan politics.

What do you think contributes to the public's interest in such a movement?

Corruption has gone so deep within society that almost everybody has experienced it. Although political parties have been championing the cause but the culture of Malaysian society where there were many instances of politicians being repressed when they talked about corruption and such incidents deterred the people from fighting corruption through political parties. So they look for other options and that is why they come to Gerak.

How many staff does Gerak have?

At the moment we are very small team because we are still in the early stage of getting funds and yet to have any major financial contribution. Most of what is spent on Gerak is from my savings. Basically we only have two full-time staff helping me run the show.

How long do you think it will take you to turn Gerak into a respected organisation recognised for its struggle against corruption?

This is a long-term effort. I know that it will take us quite some time before we are considered established. But from the response that I have received so far, I think we will be able to make an impact earlier than I had expected. People are very enthusiastic about what we have to offer. If you go to our website, we have a section called 'X-Files' which refers to unsolved corruption cases. We analyse old cases where authorities have failed to take action. So the response to our X-Files section is very encouraging. We not only get comments but information as well. It gives hope to many people who are frustrated with the rampant cover-ups by the authorities. Most are reported in the media and the issue losses its vigour once the mainstream media stops reporting on it. No one takes the trouble to keep the issue alive until the end. But now they have Gerak to do this.

But how do you intend to do this. What would make the authorities respond to Gerak when it has ignored others?

Numbers are important. So we need to build our strength. Our target is to attract as many people as we can to visit our website and to participate actively. The authorities will be affected by the numbers and so we will play with numbers. We are going down to the grassroots to connect with the people and to get them connected to the website. From there, the numbers will come. I hope we can get enough by June...we are targeting at least 50,000 members by then. I think such a number would certainly grab the authorities' attention.