The Political Bureau of Parti Keadilan Nasional does not have the power to accept or reject any proposal on the merger of Keadilan and Parti Rakyat Malaysia as the ultimate power to decide lies with its members, said Keadilan vice-president Dr Chandra Muzaffar.

Contrary to what was reported in the latest issue of Berita Keadilan , the party's organ, Chandra in a statement today said that its Political Bureau did not agree to the merger with PRM at its meeting on Feb 8.

"According to a resolution adopted by the party's Annual General Assembly on June 16-17, 2000, it is only a Special General Assembly that will decide on the question of the Keadilan-PRM merger, through democratic debate," said Chandra.

Berita Keadilan dated Feb 15, 2001 reported that the party had agreed to the merger and that the decision "was reached at a Keadilan Political Bureau meeting which was chaired by the vice-president Dr Chandra Muzaffar at the Keadilan headquarters on last Wednesday (Feb 8)".

Chandra clarified that the Political Bureau meeting was chaired by Keadilan president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and not him.

"The meeting obtained all the views of its members on a 'policy paper on the merger' prepared by the negotiating teams of both parties.

"The policy paper, together with a summary of the views expressed by Keadilan Political Bureau members, has been circulated to all members of the party's Supreme Council.

"The Supreme Council which will meet soon will through consensus present its position to the Special General Assembly and it will be then up to the assembly to arrive at a decision," said Chandra.

June deadline

Keadilan and PRM hope to complete the entire process of discussion, debate and decision-making within both of the parties by June 2001, he added.

"In this regard, it is important to emphasise that as a party committed to democratic principles and values, Keadilan recognises that on an issue as critical as its merger with another party, the ultimate power to decide lies with its members.

"No individual or group within the party has the right to usurp that power," said Chandra.

He also said that the proposal to merge both parties hold much merit, as it will contribute to the strengthening of non-communal politics and enhance the Barisan Alternatif struggle for a just Malaysia.

Strengthening of opposition

Meanwhile, PRM president Dr Syed Husin Ali said that while the PRM Central Commitee has discussed and agreed on the merger, the party is still in the midst of finalising the details before the final stage in June.

Syed Husin said that he agrees with Chandra in that the final decision lies with the members of the party.

"The technical committee of PRM is working very hard to get various things done such as the amendment of the constitution and updating the registry of members. Both parties would have had their annual general meetings by June 2001, which is the scheduled date for finalising the merger," said Syed Husin.

At present, he said, there are 30,000 registered PRM members nationwide.

"The list is quite old and we have to delete those who have passed away and include those who have joined us. Recently, PRM has seen an increase in membership from professionals around the Klang Valley."

Syed Husin said that the merging of both parties will be a strengthening of the opposition rather than just the two parties involved.

"Although both parties were formed with different backgrounds, fundamentally, both parties are multiethnic. PRM and Keadilan are both still largely Malay-based but we are working on balancing the party with more of other races.

"Both Keadilan and PRM are fighting for democracy, justice, national unity and the welfare of the people. We both agree that Anwar is not the only issue that should be highlighted but the fact that Anwar is a symbol of injustice and cruelty," said Syed Husin, who claimed that these are the factors that bring the parties together.