Is PKR a truly democratic party when its Supreme leader/Ketua Umum refused to be nominated for the Post of President which is the highest executive position in the party.
Wouldn't those who fight and compete for positions and those who voted the candidates to executive positions feel cheated when their Supreme Leader refused to be subjected to the Party's Constitution.
PKR stands for Parti Keadilan Rakyat so where is the justice and the reformasi message in all these? PKR leaders should walk the talk starting from the very top:
Anwar needs baptism of legitimacy
THU, 23 SEP 2010 12:22 (Free Malaysia Today)
By Athi Shankar
GEORGE TOWN: While everyone jostles for positions, Anwar Ibrahim stands alone as supremo without a mandate, contented with being the power behind his wife's throne, said a political scientist.In view of this, Prof Sivamurugan Pandian said the opposition leader must contest for the PKR president post and legitimise his role.
Otherwise, he said, Anwar would be a politically unlawful leader and it would be unethical and morally wrong for him to continue as such.“If he does not want to contest, then Anwar should declare to party members that he is not the PKR supremo,” he said, adding there were no provisions in the party constitution that recognise the title.
Calling on Anwar to walk the talk that PKR stood for reform, democracy and accountability, he said it was pertinent that the supremo obtained the members' mandate.“Or the public should see him only as an ordinary member, who does not have the moral authority to be called supremo,” added the deputy dean of Universiti Sains Malaysia’s School of Social Sciences.
Undermining status of other leaders
Being an “illegitimate de facto leader”, Sivamurugan said Anwar’s participation in the decision making process with regards to policies and actions was politically unconstitutional and unconventional. Even his media statements could be considered politically invalid, he added.
Furthermore, he said Anwar’s position as a non-mandated supremo would also severely undermine the status of other elected leaders, including his wife and president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail. The professor pointed out that PKR's acceptance of Anwar's “unconstitutional, unelected and undemocratic” position meant that the reformist party was subscribing to undemocratic priciples.
Sivamurugan also said that by refusing to contest and insisting on being the unelected force behind PKR, Anwar was suggesting that the president was only a ceremonial position.
Sudden change in political attitude
The academic also expressed surprise with the change in Anwar's political attitude within two years.
In 2008, he said, Anwar was in a rush to return as an elected representative to Parliament and forced his wife to vacate the Permatang Pauh seat to push for a by-election.“Why is he not emulating his own example now? He should lead by example,” he added.
Wan Azizah has received some 70 divisional nominations as of yesterday to re-contest the president post in the coming party national polls to be held between October and November.Anwar has received eight nominations but this was because he had announced his decision not to contest.
In 2007, Anwar, who had spent six years in prison, was named as PKR's de facto leader by the national congress.Back then, he was advised not to contest for the president's post and avoid putting the party’s registration in jeopardy since he was still legally banned from holding any positions in a political party due to his conviction. Commenting on this, Sivamurugan said the the congress' mandate was for the 2007-2010 term and not forever.
He said Anwar’s legal status was different now due to his elected public offices as Permatang Pauh MP and opposition leader.
“To end the argument, Anwar must get elected as president. Whether he gets elected opposed or unopposed is immaterial. The crucial issue is Anwar must get the members’ mandate,” he added.
read the whole article here.
And here is a gem from PKR Timbalan Presiden nominee, Zaid Ibrahim:
Hormatilah presiden dan perlembagaan parti
Sep 20, 2010
Pencalonan bagi pemilihan langsung Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) telah pun berlangsung di seluruh negara, dan saya diberitahu ada beberapa cabang parti telah mencalonkan saya sebagai Timbalan Presiden.
Dengan ini saya telah memenuhi syarat untuk menawarkan diri kepada ahli-ahli Keadilan membuat pilihan pada 29hb Oktober nanti. Beberapa Cabang yang saya tak pernah temui seperti Padang Rengas, Tampin, Jerantut dan lain-lain, terus juga memberi pencalonan mereka.
Saya ingin mengucapkan ribuan terima kasih dan penghargaan terhadap keyakinan mereka. Selepas ini saya akan ke seluruh negara untuk bertemu dengan para ahli parti. Saya akan menjelaskan beberapa perkara pokok di pertemuan ini.
Dalam utusan blog hari ini, saya ingin menulis mengenai perkara yang selalu di bibir penganalisa politik. Adalah tanggungjawab Timbalan Presiden untuk memberi sokongan dan bantuan sepenuhnya kepada Presiden sesebuah parti. Bagi Timbalan pula, kesetian kepada parti bererti taat setia kepada Presiden dan menolong beliau dalam menjalankan tugas-tugasnya. Timbalan Presiden mesti mengimbangi atau ‘complement’ kekuatan Presiden. Hanya dengan cara itu prestasi dan imej parti kita akan jadi lebih baik.
Kita tidak boleh membiarkan Presiden kita dianggap oleh sesetengah pihak hanya sebagai lambang. Terlalu kerap saya dengar bisikan mengenai kononnya Datin Seri Wan Azizah bukan ketua sebenar. Malah ada pula yang berkata beliau tidak ada kuasa. Keadaan ini berlaku kerana ada di kalangan kepimpinan parti yang kurang menghormati jawatan Presiden. Kepimpinan parti lebih selesa memberi kepercayaan sepenuhnya kepada Ketua Umum, iaitu Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Saya juga memberi kepercayaan dan sokongan penuh kepada Anwar Ibrahim, kerana dia pengasas parti dan juga Ketua Pembangkang tetapi dari segi struktur parti buat masa ini beliau hanya ahli biasa.
Kalau saya menang, saya akan membantu Presiden memenuhi tanggungjawab beliau. Presiden parti tidak akan dianggap sebagai lambang semata-mata. Kalau kita dari parti Keadilan tidak hormati jawatan Presiden kita yang sah kerana kita berpuas hati Presiden itu hanya lah lambang (walaupun dia berkuasa penuh mengikut Perlembagaan parti); apa jaminan kita akan menghormati Perlembagaan Negara bila kita berkuasa nanti?
Pemilihan ini adalah peluang bagi ahli-ahli Keadilan untuk membuat keputusan berikut: Siapakah antara calon yang lebih berkebolehan, lebih mampu menolong dan menghormati Presiden parti Keadilan.
Datin Seri Wan Azizah telah banyak membuat pengorbanan termasuklah meletakkan jawatan beliau sebagai ahli Parlimen demi keperluan suaminya dan PKR. Pengorbanan ini adalah pengetahuan umum. Sebagai ahli PKR, saya percaya dengan kepimpinan dan kebolehan Presiden parti; dan sebagai calon untuk jawatan Timbalan Presiden saya ingin menyokong beliau dalam usaha beliau dan dengan ikhlasnya meneruskan dan mengukuhkan dasar reformis parti untuk menunjukkan bahawa PKR mampu memenuhi perubahan yang dinanti-nantikan ahli-ahli parti dan rakyat Malaysia.
read the whole article here.
I think Zaid Ibrahim understands the PKR party Constitution better than many leader who founded the party even, best of luck to him.
PKR do not need reformasi it really needs a transformasi to be a viable political party in the future. Definitely not these kind of speeches from the Ketua Umum blaming its woes on UMNO read here.
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