PKR without Anwar Ibrahim & Azmin Ali

Malaysiakini - 400k PKR members, where art thou?

Questions have been raised about PKR’s real membership figures, especially as only 10% of the claimed 400,000 voted in the recent party’s election.

Prior to this MKINI report, a reason tossed about was that PKR had deliberately inflated its membership numbers to justify/stake its large share of the seat allocations among the three Pakatan component parties.

If that has been the case then PKR had fibbed to its Pakatan allies; if that wasn’t, then PKR has had an abysmal turnout for its party election, raising doubts about the legitimacy of Azmin Ali’s election as the new deputy president of PKR.

Out of 10% of the claimed 400,000 members who voted, Azmin only received slightly less than 20,000, a mere fraction (5%) of the total numbers. Is 5% of membership support sufficient to justify his No 2 position in the party. With Dr Wan Azizah a known reluctant politician and a passive president (only in name), Azmin Ali is now virtually the leader of PKR, on the basis of the 5% members' support he received. And even that 5% is questioned for being not kosher.

However, my post is not so much about the numbers per se, but the longevity of PKR as one of the Pakatan trio. In this, naturally I have to raise questions about Anwar, and since Azmin Ali is so closely tied in with Anwar, him as well.

Actually I didn’t plan to write my letter What of Anwar's less than admirable history in Umno?, to Malaysiakini, where I listed my reasons for not supporting Anwar Ibrahim. But I was compelled to by Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad's letter to Malaysiakini in which he responded to Dean John's criticism of the sad state of affairs in PKR. I was mentioned, which forced me to reply.

My main point in my letter to Malaysiakini was that I do not believe Anwar’s reformasi credentials or promise. Au contraire, I pointed out his 916 nonsense, that: To boast of an invisible force of 30 BN MPs defecting to his side was not only an outrageous affront to the supremacy of the Malaysian voters' decision but a hideous insult to democracy, exposing his reformasi as nothing more than a lip service sham.

The questions and complaints over his involvement in the recent party polls – see Zaid Ibrahim - suffers no fool gladly and PKR party election - the horror stories continue - have further fortified my poor impression of him, and now Azmin Ali as well.

Anwaristas and most of his supporters have been deceiving themselves by arguing that anyone, anything would be better than further enduring the UMNO-BN sh*t. Let me ask: aren’t Anwar Ibrahim and Azmin Ali also UMNO sh*t?

Changing an Anwar/Azmin-led PKR for UMNO is just changing sh*t. Then, some anwaristas, not accepting their icon is not deserving of our support, came along to say: Anwar sh*t is better than UMNO sh*t, and so the arguments continue on, along the line that Anwar, regardless of his faults and weaknesses, is better than any UMNO leader.

Having said all the above, I believe PKR can still be a good party, and Pakatan is worth voting for ... provided ... much as PKR anwaristas and other PKR supporters will undoubtedly condemn me, I have to agree with Zaid Ibrahim that for the good of PKR, Anwar and Azmin should leave PKR.

Of course that is unlikely to happen now because Anwar is so consumed about being PM, or failing that, to see Azmin as PM. They have a symbiotic relationship, which means they both see themselves as PM in the event of a Pakatan victory.

What then?

I am not sure I want to see either Anwar or Azmin as PM. Just imagine what they can do. It frightens me.

I reckon the scandal, complaints and questions over the recent PKR party polls have been a blessing in disguise because it means a significant number of PKR members and supporters might have woken up, realizing their messianic icon is not so reformasi-inclined as they had blindly and foolishly believe. This may spell a nascent willingness among PKR members to consider their party as one minus Anwar and Azmin.

The challenge to the Anwar-Azmin leadership have to, must come from within PKR, so as to save the party and preserve its useful role in Pakatan. PKR must and shall survive (better) without Anwar and Azmin. I’m really glad that Dr Syed Husin has left voluntarily; next should be Dr Wan Azizah as the poor long-suffering lady needs a good break. And so should the others like 'all complaints solved' Saifuddin, deer-like Dr Molly Cheah and the inner coterie of Anwar and Azmin.

The daughter Nurul seems a decent sort of sweetheart, honest, bright and promising as a politician. Maybe one day she’ll be the leader. Yes, PKR can survive, in fact better, as a party of young members and leaders – Nurul, Chegubard, Tian Chua, Eli Wong, Jonson Chong, etc. Maybe it's time to recruit people like RPK and Haris Ibrahim into the party fold.

It’s all up to you PKR members. Don't exist under the unfounded belief that Anwar Ibrahim (and symbiotically, Azmin Ali) is indispensable.

Perhaps it may not be remiss of Pakatan to put the trek to Putrajaya on hold and just focus on winning more federal seats and the new States of Perak, NS and Sarawak.

The next term, even in federal opposition, will provide the Pakatan leaders with more experience in being State ruling governments, and more importantly, the Malaysian civil service with sufficient time and exposure to an enlarged and enhanced Pakatan presence to realize the Malaysian political landscape has significantly and irreversibly changed, and to adjust to real Westminster democracy (and thus the possibility of a new federal ruling party, without harbouring any ethno-centric fears) and a return to its impartial professionalism.

And hopefully by then, Anwar and Azmin will no longer be in charge of PKR.

Don’t be dragged in by Anwar-Azmin’s obsession to race to occupy Putrajaya, regardless. Slow and steady wins the race.