Anwar needs to restore faith in party

The Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) will have to address public disillusionment when it meets for a party congress today, after opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim failed to topple the government as he had boldly predicted.

The three-day congress comes as Anwar's Pakatan Rakyat (PR) coalition - comprising the PKR, the Islamist Parti Islam SeMalaysia (Pas), and secular Democratic Action Party (DAP) - experienced a series of missteps.

One of the latest is the attempt by Pas to ban the sale of alcohol in Selangor state, a move that raised the ire of DAP leaders. Earlier, the appointment of a Chinese to head the Selangor Development Corporation also came under fire from some quarters within the opposition coalition.

Observers feel that Anwar would do well to use the congress as a platform to restore the faith of his supporters. About 2,000 delegates from 160 divisions are expected to attend.

While Anwar may try to put Sept 16 - the deadline he set for taking over the government - behind him, it seems inevitable that delegates will raise this issue

"There is a lot of disappointment that the Sept 16 takeover never happened," a PKR member said.

"We expect questions from members on crossovers and Sept 16," PKR lawmaker Yusmadi Yusoff said.

An issue that may be raised at the conference is the problem of finalising the coalition's official charter despite more than eight months of discussion. The stalemate could be seen as a sign that the ideologically diverse coalition is facing serious problems.

PR secretariat member Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said there were some sticking points within the charter that the partners could not agree on. He did not reveal what these were.

The Straits Times did learn that DAP had approved a draft version of the proposed charter. Dr Dzulkefly, who is the research head for PAS, said the charter should be finalised by January.

"We are very sure of our differences and we will not be compromising on those. But those ideological differences will not get in the way of our coalition. If that were the case, then Pakatan would have broken up early on."

Other topics likely to be raised include strategies to move the party forward, and ways to sustain the support of younger members, who comprise about 70 per cent of its numbers.

As for Anwar's chance of becoming premier, observers say he will likely wait until the next elections due in 2013 for a shot at toppling the government.

Critics say the window of opportunity for him appears to be shrinking, especially after unpopular Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi confirmed he would hand over power to his deputy, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, sooner than planned.

Some said the early handover has removed all sense of instability within the ruling Barisan Nasional, but opposition lawmakers insist this is not true and that PR still has much public support.

They say Najib carries too much baggage, ranging from allegations of links to the high-profile murder of Mongolian woman Altantuya Shaariibuu, to claims of defence deal kickbacks.

Analysts said PR's popularity has not waned yet, and the party may be able to salvage public sentiment if it can manage the five opposition-held states well.

"Assurances of cooperation, systematic efficiency and commitment to carrying through issues should be made this weekend. Clear policy strategies on the economy would also help boost public confidence in the
ability of Pakatan to manage an upcoming crisis," political analyst Tricia Yeoh said.