MGG Pillai Commentary View

<< Previous || Next >>

A political party loses its way

RAJA KAMARUDDIN RAJA Abdul Wahid. A former commando, so he is also known as Raja Komando, a member of the Selangor royal family, close to the Selangor house. A former UMNO member who left like so many ohers when it betrayed its deputy president, Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Joined Parti Keadilan Nasional when it was formed. He had in the years in KeADILan refused every offer to return to UMNO, including offers of money. The Selangor mentri besar, Dato' Seri Mohamed Khir Toyo, interceded with him not to take him on in the 2004 general election.

He exudes a confidence that belies his royal background. He is a fighter. When he fights, he gives no quarter. He is not a thinker or an intellectual. He is more down-to-earth, and strengthens his reputation by keeping his eyes and ears close to the ground. He is fearless, and does not flinch when he is asked to take part in party programmes which often cross swords with the police.

He is in the thick of any KeADILan, now the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), function in Selangor. So when the KeADILan leader, Mr S.D. Johari, organised a barbecue in Jalan Kebun in Klang in 2002, he was there. The trigger happy police, having eaten crow after the Kesas Highway demonstration earlier, was not about to let is happen again. So it cordoned off the area, and barred outsiders in. Raja Kamaruddin breached it, insisting he was invited to the barbecue in a a private house. He was arrested and charged in court for disobeying a police order. Typically, KeADILan and its successor PKR, washed its hands off this. It does not back those who fall foul of the law in activities the party condones.

Those it abandoned in the past includes several of its past and present leaders: its secretary-general, its youth leader, several members of its supreme council. PKR is not bothered or concerned about their fate once they are detained under the Internal Security Act or charged in court. That no one from the party was at Raja Kamaruddin's continued trial on Saturday, 09 April 2005, at the Klang magistrate's court, was expected. I was in Klang and dropped in. I was the only non-Malay in the gallery. So much for PKR's perception as a multiracial party.

The only PKR members there were the witnesses, a half dozen, the PKR vice-president from Sabah, who went on her own and not on behalf of the party; the others, his friends and wife. He was defended pro bono by a DAP lawyer, Mr Teng Chang Kim, who is also the state assemblyman for Bandar Klang. The hearing was over by noon, and judgment will be delivered on 20 May. When his PKR witnesses and others adjouned for lunch, his bitterness at being let down by the party came through his seeming nonchalance. In the midst of lunch, a telephone call came from the palace, who wanted to know what happened at the trial. He excused himself and left.

The talk at the table revealed a party that has lost its bearings. It put into focus what I had suspected: it has no plan, no vision, and have clearly lost its way. KeADILan was founded, so wags and critics noted at the time, to pressure the authorities to release its eminense grise, Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim, from jail; now it is seen as a vehicle to make him prime minister. It is not, of course, but that is the perception; and it is this that often matters more than the truth. The ground is despondent. The PKR remains even more disorganised now than when Dato' Seri Anwar was in prison. What is even more frightening is the control of the party by its toady wing. Or to put it another way: it is as crony-ridden and self-centred as UMNO in BN.

I was at a dinner the other night at which young professional PKR members wondered aloud if they should remain, who saw a party that envelopes Dato' Seri Anwar and ignores the ground. They were of the view that if the opposition does not make headway in the 2009 general election, it is the end of the road for PKR and even DAP; in their view only Parti Se-Islam Malaysia (PAS) would survive. They did not like the prospect, but grudgingly admitted PAS has a vision, worked towards it amidst a well-organised ground. That its future is theocratic is what makes these young men nervous. They want to be in politics, but they saw no future in PKR and talked aloud of joining UMNO. This view is not isolated.

This group thought Dato' Seri Anwar should not spend so much time overseas. I countered to say he deserves a break of at least a year after his prison term, and he should be allowed to spend it as he likes, and better overseas to decide his future in Malaysia. It is pointless to be in Malaysia if PKR remains moribund on the ground. But PKR leaders would rather accompany him on his travels. It is important he is in Malaysia when UMNO has its general assembly, and be visible at the PWTC where it is held.

The party now thrives on press releases, and occasional high profile events. It does not instill confidence. If UMNO was not as ill-organised, it could pick any PKR leader it wanted on its side. I have spoken with several high level leaders who would jump into UMNO or PAS at the slightest excuse, with or without a monetary inducement.

A party is not made of leaders alone. Few know what it stands for, apart from getting Dato' Seri Anwar out of jail and now to catapult him to high office. It is not enough to attract new members or keep the old ones. Those who joined PKR were already fed up of BN and UMNO, and awaited an issue to leave. They would just as well return if those concerns are unaddressed. Add to that the official harassment and pressures, and few could hold out. The leaders rush hither and thither to give the impression of organising, but none of that happens. The only thing it does with some verve is its press releases and, sometimes, sage words from its deputy president, Dr Syed Husin Ali. That though is not enough

Harsh as it is, PKR trembles at the edge of oblivion. If it depends on Dato' Seri Anwar to keep its flag flying, it is a lost cause. But if it organises itself so that he returns to a functioning party, there is hope. Unfortunately, there is no sign of that. There are two birthdays in April: the fourth, when it was founded; and the fourteenth – "Black 14", the day he was first sentenced. It is ignored this year. Why? Preparations for it start three months earlier. This year it has not even started; and one birthday went by without anyone noticing it.

When past leaders left the party for UMNO or PAS, it was insinuated they were "bought". They could as well have left because they wanted to be in politics, which they could not in PKR. I dare say not many jump into UMNO because its short sighted leaders promise the earth to defectors but does not deliver. But if PKR continues as now, the deserters would rise by leaps and bounds. And the question begins to be asked: Why should anyone join PKR when there is UMNO, PAS, DAP and others?

M.G.G. Pillai
pillai@streamyx.com