The PKR congress this weekend will be chock-full of activities with even a demonstration planned smack in the middle of the proceedings.

The party's sixth annual gathering, initially slated for last year, had to be postponed because of the seemingly unending run of one by-election after another, is set to be held in Kota Baru.

The party will kick off with Youth and Wanita wing meetings on Thursday evening.

NONE PKR deputy president Syed Husin Ali ( right )  is expected the open the Youth meeting which 500 delegates are expected to attend.

On Friday afternoon, a demonstration against the sports betting licence given to Berjaya Corp has been planned by PAS youth in the city.

The Wanita and Youth wings' proceedings are expected to be put back for about an hour to allow the delegates to join in the protest alongside their fellow coalition partners.

Then PAS spiritual adviser Nik Aziz Nik Mat is also expected to put in an appearance at the Youth meeting, where he is likely to talk on "youth issues", according to the wing's information chief Lee Khai Loon.

On the Wanita's side, the gathering themed Wanita Sejahtera, Selamatkan Negara (Prosperous Women, to Save the Nation) is expected to take on a more subdued tone from the 500-strong delegates, long known as the party's stabilising factor.

Its chief Zuraida Kamaruddin told Malaysiakini that her opening address will touch on the women's role in the party, urging the parent body to implement substantive gender equality measures.

"We want the party to be committed to elevating the status of women, but without compromising the status of women leaders," she said.

bukit antarabangsa landslide 071209 zuraida kamaruddin Zuraida ( left )added that the resolution passed at the extraordinary general meeting last year to provide for 30 percent representation in leadership posts at all levels for women was a good start.

As for the parent body, the congress will start on Saturday where roughly 2,000 delegates from 206 divisions around the country will flood the Kelantan Trade Centre.

  Open debate expected

Party secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution has promised an "anything goes" meeting among the 20 to 25 debaters slotted for the proceedings.

"They will listen to the opening address (by party president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail) then they can pick on whatever issues they want. It's open," he said.

He also said that the PKR delegates are "mature" enough to debate responsibly without having the secretariat to mother them.

But, despite the assurance of maturity and responsibility by the debaters, one can expect fireworks as they are expected to pick on the issue of defections, with the most recent one being Wangsa Maju MP Wee Choo Keong who quit the party just last month.

While it has been widely speculated that some of the delegates have promised an explosive expose on the turncoats- 10 lawmakers since the 2008 general elections- twists are expected.

Murmurs across the party grapevine have it that delegates aligned to the defectors but who chose not to resign themselves, are expected to launch assaults on the party leadership, whether thinly-veiled or not.

Intense lobbying anticipated

Since the party polls are also slated for the year-end - where for the first time in PKR, direct elections will take place with every member enfranchised - observers also expect intense lobbying among the delegates.

NONE While PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim ( right) has kept mum on the factions within the party, it has been widely circulated that notable personalities in PKR have been quietly moving their pieces.

With that, party election hopefuls aligned to each particular faction will be moving and schmoozing with the delegates as every vote now counts.

Anwar will then deliver his closing address on Sunday after the congress adopts the resolutions put up.

The events for Friday and Saturday will also be capped by mammoth ceramahs by Anwar, Nik Aziz, and DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.