By Stephanie Sta Maria - Free Malaysian Today
The situation in the problem-plagued PKR would be diffirent if Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had selected a deputy with a strong personality, said an academic today.
According to Monash University Malaysia's political scientist Prof James Chin, a formidable deputy would be able to impose discipline in the party and keep the people clear on the issue of succession.
“He appointed a very weak second leader in Syed Husin Ali. Right now all the discipline (issues) have to go through Anwar's hand and right now he can't decide. He's too focused on the (sodomy) trial to think of anything else. Husin wants to do a lot of things but he's weak,” he told FMT.
In a similar vein, Univeristi Sains Malaysia's Sivamurugan Pandian suggested that Anwar should step aside for the time being and hand over the reins to a strong leader to set the house in order.
“Perhaps Anwar should make way for another equally strong political leader like (Pakatan Rakyat troubleshooter) Zaid Ibrahim to reorganise, restructure, rebuild and rejuvenate PKR,” he said, underscoring the importance for the top leadership of PKR and Pakatan Rakyat to be decisive in adressing and arresting the rot immediately.
Just like Chin, Sivamurugan believes that the ongoing sodomy trial could have distracted the opposition leader, therefore diverting his focus from party matters.
“Many Malaysians, especially party-less voters, think that the multiracial PKR set-up is the vital link within Pakatan. But the recent resignations could affect their confidence on PKR to lead Pakatan to a federal victory in the next general election. Those who quit are frustrated politicians who appear to be victims of internal bickering,” he said.
'Manipulated from the outside'
Chin believes that more would quit the party and this would not come as a surprise.
“This situation is very much expected. People forget that PKR and the other two (PAS and DAP) never expected to do so well in the general election. So any Tom, Dick and Harry were pushed forward as candidates. When you win a lot of new members and you don't have the structure to deal with them, you can expect turbulence. And because it (Keadilan) merged with PRM, they have additional members so this is part of the growing pains,” he said.
“PKR is also being manipulated from outside. It is being pushed by Umno and Barisan Nasional to create a crisis situation internally. The idea is for the ruling coalition to portray the opposition as not viable. It's a psychological trap and PKR has fallen right into it, but PKR couldn't help it. People can expect more turbulence and defections right up until the next elections which will take place nine months from now,” he added.
Noting that the current crisis does not bode well for PKR and Pakatan because “people don't like internal feuds”, Chin cited Gerakan as an example, saying that the party was riddled with infighting and this led to a dismal showing in the last elections.
“The Malaysian electorate does not like petty fights, they see it as very childish,” he added.
However, Chin noted that not all hope is lost as the next general election would present PKR with a good opportunity to select new and credible candidates.
“The good news for PKR is that people would realise that these defections are only issues of housekeeping. They would not punish PKR for that. They would realise that all these people who have left were never meant to be leaders. What the people would punish PKR for is its performance in Selangor so it has to be prepared for that,” he said.
Good news and bad news
Bridget Welsh, an associate professor in political science at the Singapore Management University, felt that it is somewhat of a yin and yang experience for PKR.
“The good news is that it allows PKR the opportunity to form a good sense of cohesion as people who are not with the programme are leaving. This would allow the party to consolidate and lead from a much more cohesive message and stand.
“The bad news is that it would present a disunited image to the public and show that PKR consists of people who are not committed to the party and its cause. The defections clearly come from those who are not loyal to opposition issues. But this is something that PKR has faced from the very beginning since the Perak controversy. The question they need to ask is can all their members be trusted,” she said.
Pointing out that PKR is “very young and grew very fast”, Welsh said: “All that's happening now are teething problems as they try to find their ground. They have expanded very fast as people were given positions very quickly.”
Urging the party to focus less on Anwar's leadership in order to find its own foundation, the political scientist said the opposition leader is facing serious challenges not just from BN and Umno but also from within.
“He is trying to bring together people with very different outlooks. Many of the defectors are those who were previously with BN. They are already frogs so it's a small wonder that they are jumping now. I suggest that the party resolve its internal divisions. In the short term, you will see more reconfiguration of people in positions. In the long term, the party will learn from mistakes and choose candidates that are more loyal.
“PKR will be able to withstand this crisis but only if they don't let personality issues take precedence over changing and transforming system,” she added.
Resorting to a wildlife analogy, Universiti Malaya's Prof Dr Azmi Sharom said those who have quit are mostly ex-Umno members, “and its very hard for a leopard to change its spots.”
The current crisis, he added, is a good thing because it allows PKR to separate the wheat from the chaff but it is also important for the party to get its act together and convince the voters that such a situation would not recur.
“The public is fickle. They don't see the bigger picture, just the small things. And they want miracles immediately. This situation is exactly the kind of thing that would push fence-sitters to the other side. PKR is going to have a tough time convincing the public that this won't happen again because they don't have access to the mainstream media. They have to get their message through in different ways and they can't ride on the same message that they did in 2008. The public has heard that already,” he said.
As for Anwar, he said the opposition leader's charisma should not be underestimated but for sustainability, PKR has to be something that people look to as a group and not as a single individual.
“People didn't vote for (Prime Minister Datuk Seri) Najib (Abdul Razak), they voted for BN. Pakatan has to be the lingua franca of politics if it wants to surge ahead,” he stressed.
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