Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) leaders probably heaved a sigh of relief when the party congress ended last Saturday. Despite criticism in the run-up to the event, no major hitches were experienced during the three-day meeting.

Key resolutions were passed to criticise the government's policies on issues including education and economic development, but more significant was the willingness of members to examine internal weaknesses and to seek improvement.

Deputy president Syed Husin Ali must have thought hard when he prepared his speech which exposed 13 weaknesses that could weaken PKR if not addressed.

Being the experienced politician that he is, he was well aware of the risk he was taking and the negative responses to be expected, but he soldiered on.