YOURSAY | It's not too late for PKR, but it must act fast
YOURSAY | ‘Otherwise, there will be no more PKR after GE15.’
PKR youths don’t blame Anwar for party’s diminishing popularity
Fahmi: Party polls may lead to cold war but not break up
TTSH: It is not too late for PKR to pick itself up again but it will take time.
If there is a flaw, then I would put it on party president Anwar Ibrahim’s inability to discern who his friends and foes are. Maybe he is too nice.
This is where DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang had succeeded and Anwar had failed.
Study the strategists, lawyers, economists, engineers and youth leaders in DAP; then you will understand what I am talking about. Lim was constantly bringing in new, fresh and talented faces.
Young people like Howard Lee, Steven Sim, Kelvin Yii, Young Syefura Othman, Syerleena Abdul Rashid, Syahredzan Johan, Jamaliah Jamaluddin, Marina Ibrahim, Sheikh Umar Bagharib Ali and a long list of others do not just pop up from nowhere or yesterday.
There is a dedicated training centre for them. They learn from battle-hardened politicians. Take Syahredzan for example. He would have amassed a wealth of experience from his years serving as Lim’s political secretary.
DAP has a legal department headed by Ramkarpal Singh, pooling together all top legal eagles in the party. If any member is in trouble, he or she is given full support. I wonder if former Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli had to fight his legal battles alone.
Contrary to what is perceived, DAP leaders are not selfish. They know that a party cannot survive without injecting new blood - leave Sungai Pelek assemblyperson Ronnie Liu, former Skudai assemblyperson Boo Cheng Hau, Cheras MP Tan Kok Wai and Co out. Their profile fits better with MCA.
1) You need to identify and develop talent.
2) You need teamwork, intelligence, capability and loyalty.
3) You need strong financial support from loyal supporters and businesses.
Even Amanah deputy president Salahuddin Ayub called on the party’s youth wing to create national leaders and be capable like DAP.
It will take time, but no pain, no gain. Just Anwar, Rafizi, Nurul Izzah Anwar and Lembah Pantai MP Fahmi Fadzil will not be enough to carry the party through. They will need more support.
All Things Considered: If these youngsters are considered the future leaders in PKR, the party better close shop now. No need to wait for GE15 and suffer the humiliation.
It is clear as daylight that Anwar has outlived his usefulness and has failed to capture the imagination of the electorate. It is time to give way to a more aggressive and resourceful leader like Rafizi, who is one of the few who can uplift the party and bring back its glory.
Otherwise, there will be no more PKR after GE15.
The Wakandan: Two factors are attributed to PKR/Anwar’s decline in popularity.
1. Anwar’s inability to manage factional conflicts within his party.
2. Unsuccessful coups, the latest being in cohort with Umno to topple Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin’s government. This damaged Anwar’s credibility and provided fodder for opponents to humiliate him.
There is also a vivid change in Anwar’s personality, which compounded the negative impact. He is not as vocal, unlike before, on current issues. When he speaks of them, he is more of a diplomat rather than the fiery firebrand Anwar once was.
Changes can be positive or negative. Unless it is to improve a mistake, it is often deemed as a weakness. By being meek, it seems Anwar has lost his confidence tremendously and that will bring him down.
Not that it is no good, but it was just not the Anwar that the people used to admire and know.
PurpleOcca8200: Anwar screwed up big time during and after the Sheraton Move. He just showed how desperate he was to become a PM. He thought of himself more than what he could have done for the rakyat who voted for Pakatan Harapan.
Of course, former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad was also there, distracting everyone with his manoeuvring. But Anwar, as a good leader, could have done better rather than falling for the devil’s trick.
It is still not too late. He should think and make a wise decision if he cares for the party and the rakyat.
Coward: Cold war in PKR (according to Fahmi)? Really? This is PKR practising old school Umno and BN politics: you are either with me or you are out.
This is bad. Not only does it not foster exchanging of ideas within the party, it means the leadership will eventually go into a North Korean-style dictatorship where dissenters are executed. This is not a way to run a party.
It is precisely this type of attitude that led to Rafizi and Nurul Izzah taking their leave of absence over the past few years.
Look at DAP. They have their differences, some of them are even laid bare for all to see before the Johor polls. However, there is no cold war.
Way To Go: Harapan's strength as a cohesive coalition with similar visions and missions has been destroyed during its 22 months in power.
Many deliberate and controversial actions by Mahathir were against Harapan’s reform agenda. His intention was to weaken Harapan by pitting one against the other.
The PKR defections were also engineered by him to split the party. This has destroyed PKR’s credibility as a viable party and Harapan as a solid coalition.
As seen from subsequent election losses, people prefer to stay home than turn up for Harapan. That is the takeaway from the Malacca and Johor elections.
This points to the fact that Harapan has failed to pick up the pieces and get its act together following Mahathir's betrayal and exit.
There is a total lack of leadership and, accordingly, the ability to regain Harapan's strength as a people-oriented, responsible, and dependable coalition.
Harapan needs to restart with the basics, which is able leadership.
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