Their faces beamed with pride for the delegates knew that they are now a major political force in the country.

Once upon a time, they were the butt of jokes. Their rivals had even dismissed them as ' parti kurang relevan '. But nobody in Barisan Nasional laughed when the results of the March 8 polls rolled in.

pkr congress ceramah 291108 supporters Nearly eight months have passed since the maverick Anwar Ibrahim-led PKR and the Pakatan Rakyat alliance stormed into power in five states and captured 81 parliamentary seats.

The lingering effects of this unprecedented gains were still evident when PKR delegates shuffled into the fully air-conditioned Malawati stadium in Shah Alam to attend their three-day national congress, which ended last night.

By comparison, this fifth congress was the most well-organised to date and reflective of the resources which are now at the opposition party's disposal.

Backed by an excellent audio system and large screens, leaders took to the stage and delivered their speeches as a blue and red backdrop emblazoned with the words ' Harapan Baru ' (new hope) made it an extravagant spectacle.

Disappointing 'content

'

While the thumbs went up for the logistics, observers and some delegates however appeared a little disappointed with the 'content'.

pkr congress ceramah 291108 anwar2 The debates kicked off on Saturday and as expected, most of the delegates spoke at length about the election victory and praised Anwar and his wife, PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

The second-most common issue on the agenda were the criticism towards how rival BN is suppressing the people through its policies.

Very little was shared on how the five Pakatan-led states have performed since March. This came as a surprise since PKR helms the alliance.

Even the leaders had hardly touched on these matters except for deputy president Dr Syed Husin Ali and Sabah deputy chief Christina Liew, with both of them calling on Pakatan states to recognise the indigenous people's customary land rights.

Bigger challenges ahead

Commenting on this, Perak delegate Chang Lih Kang said while Anwar and his wife should be credited for their leadership, he had however hoped that the congress would serve as a platform for delegates to look at the bigger challenges awaiting the party.

chang lih kang "The delegates should be aware that the success of the party is not just because of Anwar. It may not be a very good culture (to continue this trend ). The congress should be a platform for us to debate our policies and matters concerning the party or Pakatan," said the Teja state representative.

pkr national congress 301108 delegate swearing The hero-worship was blatantly evident towards the end of the congress when PKR supreme council member N Gobalakrishnan - in expressing his confidence that Anwar will eventually topple the BN-led government - urged all delegates to stand up and read out a pledge of loyalty to the opposition leader.

Selangor delegate and Seri Setia state assemblyperson Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad also agreed that there is room for improvement as far as debates are concerned.

However, he reasoned that delegates could not help but feel jubilant because the party has come a long way.

"This congress shows how far PKR has come as a truly multiracial party. Whatever that we are doing today can always be related back to the 17-points of the party's core principles as compared to BN where everyone is pandering to their own race," he pointed out.

"For instance, during the debates, Chang quoted Quranic verses while Sarawak delegate Nicholas Bawin Anggat cited religious verses for the Dayaks to stress their points. We are truly multiracial," he added.

No references to Sept 16

Another interesting point at the congress was the apparent consensus among the delegates to not make any references in their debates regarding Anwar's failure to topple the federal government on Sept 16.

pkr national congress 301108 anwar ibrahim In the run-up to the congress, PKR officials said the opposition leader will reveal why the plan bombed.

But on Saturday night, Anwar claimed that it was ' not easy ' to explain the issue.

Although the supporters are disappointed, Nik Nazmi said, they also want to look forward and not dwell on the past.

"Overall, the delegates and observers are happy with Anwar's explanation and we must look forward to the future," he stressed.

In her point-blank speech yesterday, the PKR president told party members to do a little introspection before pointing fingers at their political rivals.

"Victory is not just about winning in an election but the ability for us to stand up and fight again. Yes, Sept 16 did not happen but we must stand up and fight again.

"Now we are elected representatives, state executive councillors and state assemblypersons. Don't criticise Umno about this or that. What about ourselves?" she asked.