“Enough is enough. You either toe the line, support the reform agenda, commit yourself to Pakatan and work together as a multi-ethnic, multi-religious entity or you leave or be kicked out. There are no two ways about it.”
PARTI Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim takes a stand after long-standing complaints against troublemakers within the party. By this time, PKR was getting increasingly notorious for internal spats, defections by assemblypersons in Perak and in Kedah, and lack of disciplinary action against its parliamentarian Zulkifli Noordin, who stormed a Bar Council forum and moved motions in Parliament to make Malaysia an Islamic state. A few months earlier, Anwar also had to admit to flaws in the party’s candidate selection process. (Source: Toe the line or leave party, says Anwar, The Star, 9 Nov 2009)
“Lim does not like to be criticised. He is quick to label those who criticise him as Barisan Nasional agents … Even his own party colleagues do not have a say the moment Lim makes up his mind.”
PKR’s Bayan Baru Member of Parliament (MP) Datuk Seri Zahrain Mohd Hashim had a litany of complaints against Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, who is also the DAP secretary-general. Zahrain said Lim failed to have checks and balances in the state government’s open tender system, and was unable to draw foreign investments. He also called Lim a “dictator, chauvinist and communist-minded”. Zahrain is being referred to the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) disciplinary board for his remarks. (Source: Zahrain: Lim is a dictator, The Star, 29 Jan 2010)
“He politicises everything. I openly said that he is a CM with no class. Whatever he cannot do, he blames it on the previous state government.”
Nibong Tebal MP Tan Tee Beng, also from PKR, joins Zahrain in criticising Lim. Tan also claimed that other PKR assemblypersons in Penang were unhappy with Lim’s leadership, and that he surrounded himself with sycophants who were afraid to criticise him. (Source: Another PKR rep ‘exposes’ Penang MB, New Straits Times, 1 Feb 2010)
“… it is okay to criticise, but it is not right to attack Guan Eng calling him dictator, chauvinist, communist as he has always consulted others[;] sometimes he reviews his own decision, but at the end of the day, he is the chief minister.”
Anwar, when announcing that Zahrain would be referred to the PR disciplinary board for an inquiry. (Source: Anwar backs Guan Eng, Zahrain to face disciplinary action, The Malaysian Insider, 31 Jan 2010)
“… there are just too many rotten people in PKR and I am sick of the party.”
Independent candidate Aminah Abdullah in the May 2009 Penanti by-election. The former PKR member joined the party in its fledging days, but left after becoming disillusioned when problems due to the PKR’s rapid growth were ignored by party leaders. (Source: Lunch, lies and an audio tape, The Nut Graph, 27 May 2009)
“We also have to be very careful with who we take in. Pakatan is popular and we don’t want opportunists to come into the party. There are a lot of people frustrated with the BN. Even if they are principled, we should wait for at least two years before entrusting them with leadership.”
DAP national chairperson Karpal Singh, assessing the PR’s weaknesses. The coalition formalised a common policy framework which all three parties endorsed at an inaugural PR convention in Dec 2010. But personality politics threatens to derail attempts at cohesiveness. (Source: Karpal on the DAP, The Nut Graph, 1 Feb 2010) 
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A Single Vote says
Tell me how, please tell me how. How do they do it, the Lim Kit Siangs, the Lim Guan Engs, the Karpal Singhs, how do they persevere through all the ISA detentions, all that persecution by the ruling elite, but worse of all the letdown, the betrayal by the very people they trusted.
We, the ones who work quietly, because we could not continue to put up with the thieving parasites, are losing faith. We need help to inject further resilience in us at this time of treachery. We have put our faith in these politicians to replace those who refused to get a decent and honest job and they in turn are joining those we have rejected. If a simple lay man can see through all the submarine deals, the daily multimillion projects, how can these traitors still believe they can continue to fool us, that they are joining those thieves so they can care for us better? Right, and my name is Stupid.
But how deceiving the eyes can be, they certainly don’t look stupid at all especially when they so proudly hold their heads up high. Such shame, hope their children are not watching, but believe me they don’t deserve to be in the same room as the LGEs, LKSs and the Karpals.
Hang in there my friends, we need you even more now.
Maverick says
Fairdinkum,
To all the Pakatan Rakyat office holders, take note. You all […] were voted in because of Hindraf curtain raisers and Anwar Ibrahim’s “Reformasi” battle cry. You all were plain lucky to be on a common platform to air your views temporarily. The real battle will be GE13 so till then hold your horses and stop threatening about jumping ships. For very soon you all will be judged accordingly, cheers.
Tan says
More heads need to roll in the next GE for PR Parliamentarians as a substantial number of ADUN/MPs are not qualified to be there. Some are talking nonsense, [they are] unprincipled, indisciplined and controversial, [and are] liabilities to the coalition.
thokiat says
PKR, being the weakest link in Pakatan, needs to seriously initiate disciplinary action against members acting in contrary to the Common Policy Framework without fear or favour to instill public confidence in its march towards Putrajaya.