Keadilan president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail today said allegations that Keadilan was being "Abimised" are a ploy to scare away the non-Muslims from joining the multi-racial party.

According to Azizah, the many speculations about the issue made her believe that it could be a ploy to undermine Keadilan while creating a negative perception of the party among the non-Muslims.

"We're broad-based. We welcome all ethnic groups. So, I'll think this is one way how the party can be attacked," she said.

Azizah explained that the issue of "Abimisation" has existed since the days her husband, jailed former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, was in Umno.

"When Anwar entered Umno, there was write-up about the 'Abimisation' of Umno," she said.

She also said that some Abim members joined Keadilan because Anwar was a former president of the movement, but she stressed that there are many others who are not Abim members in the party.

Anwar is one of the founders of the Malaysian Muslim Youth Movement or Abim and led the organisation as its president from 1972 until 1982.

Malaysiakini was reliably informed by a Keadilan source that the party elections next week will see a tussle between the Abim and non-Abim factions within the party.

Keadilan is a political party made up of various groups since its inception in 1999. The multi-racial party, although predominantly Malay, has members who were formerly from Umno as well as other opposition parties such as the DAP. It also attracted members from various non-governmental organisations and many reformasi supporters.

Constitutional amendments

Meanwhile, Keadilan secretary-general Mohd Anuar Tahir announced that a special conference will be held during the party's coming annual general meeting to amend the party's constitutions towards improving administration matters.

"After the last constitutional amendments, there are still some loopholes which need to be covered," he said.

The amendments will spell out, among others, the election procedures for the youth and women wings at the divisional level, explained the secretary-general.