AYER KEROH: The biggest question remains after the conclusion of PKR’s national congress – is everything fine in the party?
PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim struck a conciliatory note in his winding-up speech yesterday, saying the contributions of his deputy Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali and others in his faction must not be forgotten.
“Those with differing opinions are actually long-time party members who are loyal. We cannot erase all the good they have done for the party just because of temporary anger. I hope all of us remain patient,” he told the delegates.
“Whatever happens, there must be a limit to our anger. It must not be to a point where it can be destructive to the party. Although some things said by Azmin, I do not agree, he is still the deputy president. We must give and take.”
Meanwhile, Azmin indicated in a series of tweets that he and his supporters would not leave the party.
About an hour after Anwar’s address, Azmin tweeted that Anwar remains his president, and that he would negotiate with and talk to him.
“This is our party, we will not leave Keadilan,“ he tweeted.
The Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition’s largest component party with 50 MPs has been fraught with infighting in recent months, with one faction aligned to Anwar and the other to Azmin.
All seemed to be going well after a special political bureau meeting last Wednesday, just a day before the start of the PKR congress, where Anwar and Azmin supposedly came to an agreement for a peaceful assembly.
But this came to naught with a clash between members of the two factions during the Youth’s congress, and a subsequent walkout staged by Azmin’s camp protesting the debates that were deemed too critical and cynical of Azmin.
The deputy president even conducted a special press conference at a separate venue to address the issue, saying Anwar “failed to keep his end of the bargain” by not keeping the delegates under control.
Despite all these, in a press conference after his speech, Anwar gave an assurance that the party would not sack his number two, saying the matter does not arise.
However, political analysts believe that all is not well in PKR despite the party president playing down the dispute.
Assoc Prof Dr Jeniri Amir said the pair should look past their differences, while singling Azmin out as the person who should receive part of the blame for how he has carried himself in the party of late.
He added that Anwar should also learn to control his party better, failing which it could lead to the disintegration of PKR.
“It is going downhill for PKR. It is a clear manifestation of serious conflict within the party and it’s almost reaching a point of no return. If they fail to address this issue effectively and fast, we can foresee PKR being split worse than before,” he said.
Another analyst, Assoc Prof Dr Awang Azman Awang Pawi, said if the feud between them persists, this could spell bad news not only for PKR, but for PH as a whole.
He said it was also for Azmin to make the first move for any effort at reconciliation as he should practise loyalty to the president and the party.
“Anwar is the president, Azmin must listen. There should be discipline in the party, and he (Azmin) should be attending meetings. This is basic. The cause of the party comes before the individual,” he said.
