PKR grassroots might be divided in their support between party president Anwar Ibrahim and his deputy Mohamed Azmin Ali but at the same time, they do not wish to see the party breaking up.

Those who support Azmin and who had attended a dinner organised by his faction in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday also do not think PKR is heading for a split.

Two youth grassroots leaders, Rezza Sidik and Afiz Fahmy, dismissed speculation that Azmin and the other leaders will leave PKR to form a new party.

“It will never happen because we love PKR, a party built on the tears and sweat of our pioneer leaders,” they told The Malaysian Insight.

Pandan Indah branch member Aini Mohd Akhil, 49, said the grassroots are still loyal to the party even though it is rocked by internal conflict.

“Members can admit that the party has a problem, but we still love the party. We are definitely loyal to the party, even with its thorny issues,” Aini said.

Petaling Jaya member Ridzuan Basri, 36, said he does not believe PKR is heading for a split and that Azmin is a loyal deputy, in spite of the current rift.

“I think if Azmin wanted to fight the president, he would have done so from the beginning. He has been in the party for 20 years.

“The problem only involves a handful of people, although as lowly ranked members, we are not too sure what the issue is. The main thing is that ordinary members should keep calm,” said Ridzuan.

Rezza, who is Bentong PKR youth chief, said members’ unhappiness over the rift between Anwar and Azmin stems from the lack of recognition given to early leaders who sacrificed and struggled for the party at its inception two decades ago.

PKR was born out of the Reformasi movement in late 1998 after Anwar was sacked as deputy prime minister and finance minister by the man who is now his ally, Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Several leaders, including Azmin, have been Anwar’s loyalists since those days.

Rezza said there are individuals in the party who are trying to deny the contributions made by the early leaders.

Attempts to create discord between Anwar and Azmin were evident right after the two leaders met at a special political bureau meeting last Wednesday in Parliament, a day before the congress began, he said.

“After the meeting between the president and his deputy, we saw there were several attempts made, and these are no fake attempts,” he said.

The PKR congress the next day, which began with the youth wing’s meeting, was marred by bouts of fighting between those aligned to Anwar and Azmin. It was also alleged that “outsiders”, dressed in black T-shirts, had been brought in to cause the ruckus.

The fights were purportedly over the sackings of PKR youth’s permanent chairman and deputy who tried to enter the congress premises but were barred from doing so.

Whatever the reason given, the fight broke the truce Anwar and Azmin agreed on at the special meeting the night before, where they promised not to attack each other using their followers or through their speeches, in exchange for Azmin’s full attendance at the congress and his launching of the youth congress.

Anwar on Saturday, in his speech at the main congress, used a Malay jibe to call Azmin and his followers “traitors”. It led to other speeches by delegates attacking Azmin’s faction. He and several other leaders boycotted the closing ceremony the next day.

Anwar’s jibe was seen as a reference to a meeting Azmin held with several opposition MPs at his residence in November, ostensibly to talk about money for constituency projects, since Azmin is also economic affairs minister.

The meeting came amid speculation that Azmin plans to leave PKR, besides his open support for Dr Mahathir to remain as prime minister for a full term instead of handing over to Anwar as agreed.

Rezza said the worst thing at the congress was seeing attacks on the early leaders who have been with PKR since its inception and who had sacrificed to build up the party.

“They launched personal attacks on the old leadership.

“So, we want to support these early leaders because there are those trying to deny their contributions to the party,” he said, explaining Sunday’s dinner.

Afiz, 35, the PKR youth secretary of Shah Alam, said those present on Sunday were delegates who were barred from attending the annual congress.

“We do not want to fight the president openly. The gathering was the only platform available for those barred from the congress,” he said.

He, however, denied that it was a “second congress”, but admitted there were “hot issues” that those who attended needed to air.

The Sunday dinner at the Renaissance Hotel in Kuala Lumpur was dubbed a gathering for Azmin to explain the government’s Shared Prosperity Vision (SPV) 2030 to party members.

However, it ended up as a session to criticise Anwar and those in PKR who supported him. Other senior leaders at the dinner were vice-presidents Zuraida Kamaruddin, Ali Biju, Chua Tian Chang and women wing’s chief Haniza Talha.

Speaking at the dinner, Azmin expressed regret that the PKR congress in Malacca failed to reaffirm the party’s direction. It also failed to address major issues affecting Malaysians, such as the economy, housing and employment.

Instead, he said, the congress had been used to attack other party leaders.

Ridzuan, of Petaling Jaya PKR, said the dinner provided Azmin an avenue to be heard as he could not speak freely at the national congress.

The dinner was also a request from party members who wanted to hear Azmin for themselves, he said.

Despite the party’s infighting laid bare, Ridzuan said, it shows PKR is an open party.

“Only in PKR, can the president be criticised,” he said.

And from what these grassroots members say, they would rather the fighting and criticism than any break-up for good. – December 12, 2019.

Speaking at the dinner, Azmin expressed regret that the congress in Malacca had failed to reaffirm the party’s direction. It also failed to address major issues affecting Malaysians, such as the economy, housing and employment.

He lamented that the congress had been used to attack other party leaders.

Ridzuan, of Petaling Jaya PKR, said the Sunday dinner had provided Azmin an avenue to be heard as he could not speak freely at the national congress.

He said the dinner had also been requested by party members who wanted to hear Azmin for themselves.

Despite the party’s infighting laid bare, Ridzuan said it shows PKR is an open party.

“Only in PKR, can the president be criticised,” he said.

And from what these grassroots members say, they would rather the fighting and criticism, than any break up for good. – December 12, 2019.