I refer to the Malaysiakini report Khalid's suspended special officer resigns .

As I look behind some eight years, the tenacity from which the reformasi movement evolved, it is indeed very hard to believe that that kind of enthusiasm and spirit will eventually die down and make the beneficiary of that movement - PKR - a lame duck in years to come.

To give you an example, that is about five years ago, we congregated at the National Mosque notwithstanding Muslims, Christians and Hindus all in the spirit of reformasi . The purpose of this congregation was to walk all the way to Palace and to hand in a memorandum to Yang di Pertuan Agong on the discontent of the public with government on very many issues. The police had told us not to lead the procession but we rejected this call and moved out.

Nurul Izzah was leading and behind her was Irene Fernandez and some of us. As we came out, the police fired tear gas canisters right at us and it hit Irene and she fell down on to the ground. The congregation stopped.

We pulled her to a nearby tap and washed her over the face. It took sometime for her to regain consciousness. The police fired more shots and within the next fifteen minutes we were back in the mosque. Over 5,000 supporters later dispersed.

A similar incident had happened when Dr Wan Azizah was attending one of her initial public meetings in Teluk Gadong, Klang. The police refused to allow us to continue with the meeting and Tian Chua, Gopalakrishnan , Krishnasamy, Ezam Md Nor were all warned not to proceed without a permit.

Everyone who came to listen to us were in disarray. But we defied and continued against the disdain of some of the police officers.

I am recalling this because in the last 50 years this country has not seen such kind of political force against the BN government. It was the reformasi movement that did it. PKR is synonymous with reformasi .

As soon as Anwar Ibrahim was released from prison and he began to take over the helm of the party, he had larger objectives for it other than being merely a reform movement. More and more discontented politicians from other parties and from Umno, without any kind of loyalty for PKR, moved in.

Then Parti Rakyat decided to merge with Parti Keadilan. Bureaucracy started to seep in and the initial objectives of building a New Society was slowly giving in to politicking. Marriages of convenience with PAS and the DAP had become a focal point and Pakatan Rakyat became the most important task within PKR.

This may be important to Anwar Ibrahim and Khalid Ibrahim, but for many of the members who believe in reformasi are still in a haze as to whether PKR is committed to ‘Change’ (in Obama’s words). The frustration of the people had made March 8 a realisation for ‘Change’. But nothing dramatic has happened since then except that PKR is heading the government of five states.

Members of PKR and the public have seen the state Barisan governments work for far too long. Change does not come from the menteri besar’s office. It has to come from the enthusiasm and good will of the members.

Khalid Ibrahim cannot make social changes by just suspending Yahya Shaari. It may be an issue of law but the incident has made wider the calls for a review of the policies concerning procedural safeguards for a government that is led by PKR.

Khalid Ibrahim cannot make unilateral decisions just because he is the menteri besar. He has to abide by PKR’s policies. He must be subjected to scrutiny like any of us in the party. Because it is PKR and not Umno.

The issue of the suspension of Yahya Shaari is not an isolated issue. It appears to show the simmering discontent within the party. It is a wider call for Anwar Ibrahim to talk less of the Pakatan Rakyat and to do more for bringing together the members of PKR.

Anwar Ibrahim must ensure that the party means more than the governments and individuals to whom he is indebted.