ADUN SPEAKS | I think that the public confidence in PKR might be restored following the rapprochement between the president, Anwar Ibrahim and deputy president Azmin Ali.

For the last one or year so, things were not good between them and gave rise to accusations and counter-accusations leading to a serious split within the party into two camps.

It was not the apparent split in the party but the consequence of derailing the prospect of Anwar becoming the next prime minister, succeeding Dr Mahathir Mohammed.

I think the possible split has been avoided, thanks to the fact Anwar and Azmin had met to iron out some of the teething problems paving the way for Azmin to attend the party congress in Malacca this weekend.

Rumours that Azmin might not be attending the congress, let alone officiating the youth and women’s part of the event, have been cast aside.

Whatever said and done, minus the factionalism and leadership differences, PKR is the most important multi-racial party in the Pakatan Harapan coalition with the highest number of members of parliament.

In other words, the strongest party in the coalition with the mantle to inherit the coveted post of prime minister.

The division in the party could have been the reason as to why there has been so much talk about the difficulty of Anwar taking over power from Mahathir.

It was this factionalism that even influenced some in the opposition to think of forming a back door unity government.

I think the closing of the ranks between Anwar and Azmin might reduce or put to stop the extreme or wild speculations on the power transition.

Anwar and Azmin have a long history of struggle against authoritarianism and for the emergence of democratic politics.

It is not easy to forget the sacrifices of both the leaders in the political history of PKR.

There is too much at stake for both the leaders to part ways on matters that are not cardinal to the struggle of the party.

Anwar knows this well and Azmin s well.

Malaysians of all walks of life must be happy with the coming together of these two principal leaders and their respective supporters.

It is not the question of support translated in numbers but about party unity and camaraderie.

Even the slightest crack might not be conducive to the party in the long run.

Let me take this opportunity to congratulate both the leaders for putting aside petty rivalries to come together in the interest of the party, its members and most importantly, for the future wellbeing of the country.

Multi-racialism is alive in Malaysia!

P RAMASAMY is Perai assemblyperson and deputy chief minister II of Penang.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.