Never mind the official theme of the convention; the message of the Selangor Pakatan Rakyat Convention today was loud and clear - don’t worry, everything will be fine.

Speakers throughout the day used their platforms ‘celebrating’ the departure of the four PKR lawmakers who quit the party in quick succession over the past month.

Besides exposing the defectors as ‘traitors to the struggle’, the leaders went all out to re-assure the audience of party leaders that the difficulties faced were only teething problems expected of any political party.

Unapologetic, PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail called the string of defections “a cleansing process”, which weeds out the opportunists within the party.

“When we were working towards Sept 16, many were behind us. But now when (de facto PKR leader) Anwar (Ibrahim) is facing another round of ‘fitnah’, when he has one foot in prison, look who is left?” she said.

selangor pakatan convension 070310 wan azizah She singled out sacked PKR MP Zulkifli Noordin, who accused the party of unfairly dismissing him yesterday because the disciplinary panel was mostly non-Muslims. Zulkifli had claimed that he was booted out of PKR for his stand against the party on the ‘Allah’ issue.  

“His case is not about Islam. It was a disciplinary matter. If you want to criticise someone, criticise the opponents, not your comrades.

“If what he says is true, then I challenge him to give up his seat and re-contest (in a by-election),” she said.

‘Khairy, don’t worry about DAP’

Likewise, Anwar, who also took the podium, said that those who were causing problems were likely to have lost sight of the greater mission.

“This is a party based on idealism and the people’s struggle... those who go against this must be eliminated.

selangor pakatan convension 070310 anwar “If it was purely for political expediency, I would have retained (those errant MPs) at all costs, because of the numbers. But this is not a numbers game, we are a party committed to reforms,” he said.

Anwar said that he was willing to give up his role as parliamentary opposition leader, if this was demanded of him.

But DAP parliamentarian Lim Kit Siang came out to strongly back Anwar when it was his turn to speak.

“DAP is committed to one goal, our road to Putrajaya. Anwar is the opposition leader until he becomes the prime minister of Malaysia.”

With four parliamentarians quitting the party, PKR has 27 MPs while DAP has 28.

selangor pakatan convension 070310 lim kit siang And while Lim thanks Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin for championing DAP’s cause on the issue, “(he) should be more concerned about why he is not a minister”.

The DAP supremo said that Pakatan's stance against its errant MPs shows that the opposition coalition has the mettle to distance itself from those who do not share the same ideals.

Meanwhile, PAS vice-president Mahfuz Omar urged those who are having second thoughts about Pakatan because they are seeking monetary rewards should think of the people’s sacrifice.

“Think of the people in the rural areas who have contributed to your journey for nothing but a desire for change,” he urged.

Echoing Wan Azizah, he too said that the defections were a “natural process which was needed to ensure that only those who are true to the people are left in the party.”

‘Difficulties will make you stronger’

Pakatan leaders also pulled at the audience’s heartstrings when they highlighted the struggle of veteran politician and DAP founder and advisor Dr Chen Man Hin.

The high-spirited octogenarian, who commanded a standing ovation when he took to the stage, brushed off the string of defections as “nothing to worry about”.

NONE “DAP won 15 seats in 1969 and Alliance took away four seats... DAP was alone then but Pakatan Rakyat has three very strong parties with dynamic leaders.

“(DAP leaders) Karpal Singh, Lim Kit Siang and Lim Guan Eng all went to jail and DAP came out stronger, just as Pakatan will. The greater the difficulties, the stronger you get,” he said.

Party leaders today also took the oath to, among others, “uphold the principles of Pakatan Rakyat”.

When asked if she is confident of having convinced her PKR members of such, Wan Azizah said: “(In 2004) we only had one seat and we didn’t sink. Now we have 27. So what’s this talk about sinking ships?”