PKR members who cannot come to terms with the party's Malaysian agenda and remain locked in their parochial or communal mind-sets will not remain long in the party, said its de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim yesterday.

"I don't think they would stay or remain with us, however close they may claim to be to me," he said.

While not naming any one person, his statement punctuated an earlier comment on those who questioned the party's commitment to one or other racial community.

When asked about former PKR leader KS Nallakaruppan's call to Indians not to join the opposition party because Indians allegedly have no future in PKR, Anwar said PKR was the only party that campaigned for the interests and needs of all communities.

"He has every right to advise Indians not to join the party. But I want to advise the Indians not to support MIC, (because) for the last 50 years, look at the plight of the Indians," Anwar told a press conference in Petaling Jaya.

"Who among the Indian leaders ... or Malay leaders ... had highlighted the plight of the Indians as much as we have done in this party?

"Who has gone in front of 50,000 Malays in Kelantan to say that we are here to support the Malays, but you - the Malays - must also know that in Ijok, (for example), we have some estate workers among the Indians who are in very, very poor downtrodden conditions?" he said.

The Keadilan line

Anwar also said PKR had risked its support among rural Malays by impressing on the need to consider the interests of the Chinese community, some of whom feel "disgruntled and disheartened" at being treated unfairly.

"That (non-communal policy) is the Keadilan line. I believe that Malaysians would appreciate that this is the agenda and politics of the future. But it would mean a lot of problems and sacrifices (for the party), because even within Keadilan, there are some who are not familiar with this line, who feel that the Malay agenda has to come in at all costs, never mind the rest.

"I don't think they would stay or remain with us, however close they may claim to be to me," he said.

Earlier, Anwar said PKR called for the overhaul of the pro-Malay National Economic Policy (NEP) on grounds it had been abused by BN leaders for the benefit of their family members and cronies.

He called for a Malaysian economic agenda that strengthens Malaysia's competitiveness and attractiveness to foreign direct investment but also allocates socio-economic assistance to all Malaysians in need.