Tuesday, September 14, 2010

PKR :- Democratic party? Multiracial Party? A party of ex-BN persons? UMNO-lite?

Will PKR members be able to go beyond the issue of ethnicity, religion, wealth and be able to choose leaders who have good principles and values (and maybe even a past history of action for what is good and right for all persons in Malaysia [ not just PKR members/cronies])

Is PKR really a multi-racial party? Well...to date, there seem to be only persons from one ethnicity vying for the top three (or more) positions...

If Dr Syed Husin Ali decides not to stand for the post of Deputy President - would is also be the indication of the end of PRM's effective presence, given the fact that there was a merger between the two. Looking at those fighting for No. 3 (which really is the number 2 position), it looks like it is going to be a fight between 2 ex-BN...ex-UMNO personalities....and this is sad, for PKR seem to be turning out to be another party of ex-BN members - not really a new alternative party...[Well, apparently, he has decided not to contest, and it is sad - who will be No.2 now??] Syed Husin will not defend PKR No 2 post, Syed Husin chooses not to defend PKR post

To contest for a supreme council position, one needs the nominations of 2 Divisions, and this means that many may never be able to contest...at least at the highest level. Nominations by 2 members should have been the requirement ....of maybe even a defined number of individual members, like say 10 or 20 or even 50 members...The UMNO-like BN-like political culture that has permeated PKR will have its effects, and many good persons may never get nominated...given the the nomination by 2 Divisions requirement. It should be easy to get your name in the ballot - for after all, at the end of the day it is the members that choose. Maybe PKR should consider further amendments to the nomination requirement. [Let us re-look at the UMNO elections, where some one like Ku Li also could not get on the ballot because no other UMNO Division had the guts to go against the incumbents - but if it only needed 2 members to nominate, it would certainly have been different, and there would be an elected President of UMNO...]. I bet that many who want to be in the Supreme Council is now out 'begging' persons who can get Divisions to nominate them ...will there be money involved? Will there be promises of this and that involved?

What do these people who stand for elections stand for? Today, maybe nothing at all, and the only question may be whether they are in Team 'A' or Team 'B' or... are aligned to this person or that person...That would explain why many in PKR leadership really have (and expresses) no 'own' voice and 'own' opinions...and  tend to only repeat what Anwar has said...or what other Pakatan Rakyat leaders have said.So many of PKR leaders have blogs but alas many just post media reports...and very few actually take the time to express his position/views on matters of concern. Media reports are after all what the newspapers pick and publish - and certainly we all know that many a time it publishes what it wants not what a speaker had stated in full. [To be reported in the media is no big deal - and if one does post such reports, maybe one should also comment further on what never got reported...etc..including elaborations..]

Some time back a friend from UMNO lamented about the quality of UMNO's (and BN parties) new members. He said that many joined the party...and fought to get higher up in the party hierarchy just for the contracts, the projects, the money, etc.. No more did people join because they believed in the party ideology...and wanted to promote it, or even make contribution to improve party ideology/position on certain matters...I wonder whether given the fact that many in PKR are formerly from UMNO and other BN parties, are they also here in PKR for the same reasons...?? 

Anwar wants to remain 'Supreme Leader' - an unelected position, and will not want to contest for any of the democratically elected positions.?  Maybe, then there should be elections for the Supreme Leader's position too... In 2007, there was a reason...but that reason is no more in 2010...

Back in 2007, Anwar accepted nominations for the party presidency and was pitted against his wife and incumbent Dr Wan Azizah Ismail and another little-known party member Abdul Rahman Othman for the post.

Anwar and Abdul Rahman both withdrew from the contest at the eleventh hour and Wan Azizah won the post uncontested.

Anwar claims that his withdrawal was necessary because the Registrar of Societies threatened to dissolve the party if he was elected, because he was ineligible to hold party post for five years due to his corruption conviction.

Following this, the party congress in 2007 agreed to make him the de facto leader of the party. - Malaysiakini, 14/9/2010,
Anwar will not accept nominations for any post




Accountability and Transparency - Will there be candidates calling for the revelation of Local Council Income and Expenditure Accounts? State Government...State Department Income and Expenditure Accounts?....

But then....it is just another political party in Malaysia --- and today, it really is no more seen as that 'Reformasi' party - but just another party dominated by a lot of ex-BN party members at all levels... Malaysians will be watching to see who gets nominated...and who gets chosen as leaders...and the outcome will affect the perception of many.

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