With the president’s address out of the way, the PKR congress in Petaling Jaya kicked off with issues pertaining to the minority and the marginalised.

Speaking on Felda, Negri Sembilan Youth chief Rebin Birham said that Felda settlers should be considered a “gold mine” for PKR.

“Felda settlers are kingmakers in many parliamentary constituencies. They are like gold which is underground.

pkr congress 271110 crowd “They are facing issues of poverty and exploitation. If we take care of them, find a way to solve their problems, then they will remember us and can bring victory to us in the next general election,” he said.

According to Rebin, action committees have been set up in Negri Sembilan, and many of these committees are made up of Umno people, even though they are PKR initiatives.  

This, he said, is evidence that PKR is making headway in those communities, where campaigners were once chased out of homes.

He said that the Felda settlements had often been Umno strongholds.

“In Negri Sembilan in 2004, I told them that (former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamed) had done wrong to (PKR de facto leader) Anwar Ibrahim. Their reply, ‘If Mahathir goes to hell, then I will go with him’,” he said.

Be mindful of BN’s ‘autocracy’

Speaking on his experience as a human rights lawyer, Selangor delegate N Surendran ( below ) reminded delegates of BN’s “autocracy” through the abuse of institutions like the police.

hindraf probed by police 141008 surendran “These institutions are supposed to be independent and (serve) our rights as citizens,” he said, to applause.

“PKR and Pakatan Rakyat is the way for us to reclaim our independence,” he said.

Also speaking were representatives from Sabah, Sarawak and the Orang Asli community who highlighted the marginalisation of their communities.

They said that PKR has always fought for the rights of all Malaysians, and are in fact the pioneers of Prime Minister Najib Razak’s 1Malaysia.