SHAH ALAM, 28 Nov 2008: Pakatan Rakyat has not abandoned its plan of taking over the government, says Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) deputy president Dr Syed Husin Ali.
“We are laying low now. It [the takeover plan] is very much on but we talk less about it and do more about it,” said Syed Husin.
He added the takeover plan did not materialise earlier as there were too many obstacles, including the prime minister’s refusal to meet with Opposition Leader and de facto PKR leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, but this did not mean the failure would prevail.
“The lesson we have learned is the more we talk about it, we alert undesirable [elements],” Syed Husin said after launching the PKR national congress for the Angkatan Muda (AMK) and Wanita.
A total of 559 delegates from both wings attended the congress today at Stadium Malawati here. The congress ends on 30 Nov.
Earlier in his speech, Syed Husin said he believed there were many party members and the public at large who believed and had confidence in Anwar’s announcement that he had enough members of parliament (MP) to form the government.
However, what the people did not know was that the Barisan Nasional (BN) MPs who had agreed to crossover were under tremendous pressure from the government to change their mind, he said.
“When 16 Sept [the date Anwar had touted for toppling the government] did not happen, many people were disappointed and there were some quarters who claimed that the Pakatan Rakyat had failed because of the unity and strength in the Umno-led BN.
“Not many people believed the propaganda. Unfortunately there is a small group in PKR including those in the AMK and Wanita who bought the propaganda,” Syed Husin said.
He then urged the PKR’s youth wing and Wanita members not to be easily swayed by what the parties in the BN were saying, especially when they accused the Pakatan Rakyat state governments of being anti-Malay.
On the unity of the party, Syed Husin noted that the recruitment of new members into the party had left some of the older members feeling threatened.
He also pointed out that there were some groups in the party that appeared to be more dominating than others.
“Of course, active members or leaders can be valuable assets to the party but decisions made among the leaders must be done through negotiations and with democracy,” he stressed.
