PKR Youth chief Akmal Nasir painted a picture of a united wing in his address at the party congress tonight, despite a crisis that up till yesterday threatened to derail annual gathering.

At the opening of the Youth congress in Ayer Keroh, Malacca, Akmal said how moved he was at seeing party president Anwar Ibrahim and deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali patching up their differences last night after months of discord.

“I urge my friends in the Youth and Wanita wings to look at our party’s future and realise that we all need to work together.

“I was at the special political bureau meeting last night and I was touched at the sight of our president and deputy president sitting together in discussion, making plans on ways to strengthen the party.

“Perhaps in these past months we have had different views but in this party and at this congress, we are able to set them aside and unite for the party,” Akmal told delegates at the joint opening of the Youth and Wanita congress.

PKR’s annual congress this weekend had been on course for chaos after a series of events following the Youth wing’s move to uninvite Azmin from its opening.

Akmal had previously said the decision to snub Azmin was made by consensus among Youth wing leaders, but this was disputed by his deputy Hilman Idham, who is also Azmin’s political secretary at the Economic Affairs Ministry.

Hilman insisted that Azmin would proceed to officiate the Youth congress.

Last night, after a meeting between Anwar and Azmin, it was confirmed that Azmin would officiate the event.

Anwar and his number two have feuded in recent months over Azmin’s refusal to attend party leadership and political bureau meetings since being elected as deputy president last year, as well as over a sex video implicating him, which he has denied.

However, there were still hints of discord tonight, seen in several welcome banners at the congress venue which showed Hilman’s portrait without that of Akmal.

The PKR congress is being held at the Malacca International Trade Centre until Sunday. – December 5, 2019.