Some PKR members at the party’s sixth congress has more than the annual meeting on their minds. On the sidelines, there are already undercurrents of campaigning for the anticipated party polls.

While heated debates and speeches took centre stage, across the sprawling Kelantan Trade Centre (KTC) in Kota Bharu, Kelantan aspiring candidates were hard at work for the polls expected later this year.

amk pkr youth campaigning 300510 “Of course they are campaigning. Some were quite obvious and some were more subtle,” said one PKR insider, who requested anonymity.

The more obvious ones were some youth delegates, aligned to its chief Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin, who had put in a good word for him when debating at the congress.

A six-foot poster ( right ) of himself was also seen at the entrance of the building, conspicuous considering that it was the only poster of a personality anywhere within the vicinity of KTC.

It is rumoured that the poster was brought in by one of his supporters from Melaka, his home state.

But apart from the delegates’ theatrics, one could already overhear party hopefuls talking about their chances in the upcoming party polls.

Party polls still a guess

PKR held their last party elections on May 25, 2007, and is constitutionally bound to hold fresh polls once the three-year term expires.

However, the supreme council recently approved a six-month extension, which postpones the polls to November at the latest.

pkr congress agm kota baru 300510 saifuddin Secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail ( right ) added that if there was a need, he could also table a motion at the current congress, which ends today, for another six-month extension.

“So guess what I’ll do,” he teased Malaysiakini at the sidelines last night.

Saifuddin will have quite a feat on his hands when the time comes, as this is the first time a major political party in Malaysia is implementing direct elections, where each member is entitled to only one vote.

Saifuddin will be overseeing the entire election process, but he is not worried about campaigners who get out of line.

“There is no way that they can lobby that much with these direct elections anyway,” he said, adding that there is close to 500,000 registered members in the party.

He added that each candidate only needs the nomination of two divisions to contest in any of the 26 supreme council posts up for grabs.

‘Warlords’ start strategising

    

The new system has not stopped the alleged ‘warlords’ in PKR from moving its pieces in strategy.

A well-placed youth leader admitted that there is already some elements of cantas (sabotage) among the party hopefuls in the youth movement.

amk pkr youth agm congress 280510 shamsul iskandar It is also apparent that the party constitution’s amendments, particularly to limit the age of Angkatan Muda Keadilan members ( left ) from 40 to 35, has kept many of the leaders on its toes.

The new limit means that many current leaders will not be eligible to contest for Youth posts in the upcoming party elections, while some - like Shamsul, who will be celebrating his 36th birthday this December - will face prospects of having their last hurrah until their term expires.

“We know that there is a serious lack of youth leaders under 30. But those who are fervently opposed to it should just contest in the parent body,” said the insider, referring to the fiery debate at the youth congress on Friday where delegates balked against the new age limit.

But whether the lobbying is at an “acceptable” level now or not, many will predictably start sprinting off the blocks when Saifuddin, in his capacity as secretary-general, unveils the tentative dates for the party polls at the congress later today.