The annual PKR congress in Kota Bharu, ending today, saw youth members coming under fire for having grown selfish and estranged from the true struggle of the party.

                    

wanita pkr congress agm 280510 Farah Afzan Faridi from Srikandi, the party’s women youth movement, said this during the debate on the theme of young leadership, citing the Hulu Selangor by-election campaigning.

“I’m not criticising them, but some of the youth at that division say that they are not appreciated, and that the leadership doesn’t care about them and what not.

“But if you ask me, they are not even moved by the issue of political struggles,” she lambasted this morning.

She also said that the “Anwar factor” is insufficient to attract the young anymore, as that generation is probably unfamiliar with the 1998 Reformasi movement, triggered by Anwar Ibrahim’s sacking as deputy prime minister and his subsequent imprisonment.

She also said that the party will have to be more aggressive in “educating” the young, to continue nurturing the youth asset.

NONE She did not spare the leadership, claiming that they did nothing when the four Universiti Kebangsaan students ( right ) were charged under the Universities and University Colleges Act for their participation in the Hulu Selangor by-election.

“Not one from PKR turun padang to defend them. When they were first suspended, the first people to come out to defend them were MCA, the party that you all like to say are useless,” she reprimanded the party.

“While hardly anyone from PKR called them, a YB from BN in Pahang also called them to console them,” she said.

A Pahang delegate Abas Awang also commented during the debate that the party must close ranks, commenting on the presence of external parties like civil societies at the congress.

“I see in this hall that there are many people from NGOs like Jemaah Islah Malaysia (JIM) and Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (ABIM). There are already signs that there are (party members) who are uncomfortable with the presence of (these) different groups.

“This is something that we have to rectify and work on. We have to help each other, and not compete with each other in an unhealthy way,” he said.

Pakatan state governments criticised

But salvos at Pakatan-led state governments, specifically Selangor, seemed to be the recurring theme during the congress.

To the extent of which congress permanent chairperson Ishamuddin Ismail had to placate Selangor MB Khalid Ibrahim, who was seated on stage, by watering down the building tension.

rawang new village high tension tower pc 051208 gan pei nei In addressing the criticisms, Wanita delegate Gan Pei Nei ( left ) called for the removal of administrators who cannot perform, or who cannot get along with the state heads.

“We have to remove those who cannot work, unless we (too) are also removed in the next general elections,” she said, adding that Pakatan reps must be disciplined.

“To (Menteri Besar Khalid), he has to listen to what we have to say. Replace the district officers and JKKK heads who don’t help the Selangor government,” she said.

She added that the state governments should give a chance to professionals and academics within the party who have good ideas to contribute.

Fellow Wanita delegate Sarimah Lisut echoed Gan’s sentiments, asking why some party leaders are not involved in the party machinery.

Suggesting that the Pakatan state governments give priority to qualified party members when appointing “important posts”, she said this will strengthen the party for the long haul.