GE14 | PKR has gone full circle from a party set up to fight an oppressor to fighting along with the man whom they had fought to topple.

At the launch of its 14th general election machinery, PKR deputy president Azmin Ali noted there was "someone" who had once predicted that PKR would not last six months from the time of its inception in 1998.

"But now it has been 20 years and the person who said that, InsyaAllah, will be using PKR's logo in this 14th general election," Azmin told some 3,000 party members gathered at the Youth and Culture complex in Shah Alam.

"This is the success that we have achieved. It is not easy for us to reach this level," he stressed.

While Azmin did not mention the person's name, it was clear that he was referring to Harapan chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad's announcement on Friday that all candidates from Bersatu, DAP and Amanah would contest under PKR's ticket this GE14.

Mahathir announced the move in retaliation to the Registrar of Societies' decisions to reject Harapan's application to be registered as a formal coalition, as well as to slap Bersatu with a temporary dissolution notice.

PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, meanwhile, shared her own anecdote of the moment when Mahathir first pinned the PKR logo onto his shirt during the function held in Pasir Gudang, Johor.

"I would like to share about the moment when the former premier, who at one time we called him all kinds of names, agreed to use PKR's logo.

"By chance, I have a PKR badge in my handbag, I took it out and put on the table in front of him, he picked it up and pinned it on his shirt," said Wan Azizah.

"I called out to (PKR vice-president) Tian Chua and asked him to record a video, so we have a memory of Tun Mahathir wearing a PKR badge," she said to cheers from the crowd.

In his own speech earlier, Tian Chua recalled how Parti Keadilan Nasional, as PKR was known then, had been founded "on the streets" by people who fought against perceived injustices committed at the time.

"Compared to other parties, PKR was born on the streets. We didn't register with the ROS first and then entered the elections.

"Our leaders had fought, they suffered and they were maligned," he stressed in firing up the members to face the upcoming battle against BN.

Other leaders who spoke included party vice-president and election director Nurul Izzah Anwar, who reminded the members that PKR has grown from a party which had to beg for candidates to one with many candidates vying for one seat.

"So I am asking, never to allow any personal anger from 'burning' our struggle all this while," she cautioned.

'Ready for multi-cornered fights in Selangor'

When met after flagging off PKR's logistic convoy, Azmin told reporters that Harapan in Selangor is prepared to face multi-cornered fights in the state.

“We are quite familiar with that scenario... We faced a 15-cornered fight in Bukit Selambau, we won, and it was a by-election.

"Now (GE14) we have to face three, four or maximum five. So I think we can win, but we have to work hard," he said when asked for comments on Parti Rakyat Malaysia's planned electoral comeback in Selangor.

After taking a decade-long hiatus, PRM is set to rejoin the electoral race in GE14 and yesterday named some of their candidates for five parliamentary and 15 state seats in Selangor, including ex-PKR Kapar MP S Manikavasagam.

Aside from BN, Harapan candidates in Selangor are expected to be caught in multi-cornered fights with PAS as well as PSM.