DECADES ago, a political party meeting had to be held in an arena where chairs were riveted or bolted down because delegates had a penchant for throwing them at each other over perceived slights at each faction’s leaders.

The party, part of the then ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, became a joke and its splinter parties, too, became jokes.

It’s happening again, now, in a component party of the ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition. And it’s over slights, innuendoes, recalcitrant behaviour, sackings and such.

This time it is PKR, the party with the largest presence in Parliament; led by Anwar Ibrahim, the putative future prime minister, who is facing a revolt of sorts within the party set up to free him 20 years ago.

Delegates walked out today from the party assembly in Malacca, days after it took some convincing for Anwar’s detractors to agree to attend the assembly rather than hold a separate one in Kuala Lumpur.

Some members have been sacked, to the chagrin of others. There have been fisticuffs and scuffles worse than a bar-room brawl or a schoolyard scrap. 

Compare that to the Umno general assembly taking place peacefully if not sullenly at their Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) headquarters. Eighteen months after losing power, the party runs a tight ship of working back to a semblance of its former self, ready to get back power.

Umno, too, had its fair share of fights in its meetings, but never at its main gathering. There was party discipline, there was decorum to ensure party image doesn’t get marred by such rowdy behaviour when it was in power.

PKR needs to behave better. It is finally in power at the federal level in a pact that includes several other parties. It cannot behave like gangsters in a film – ready to slug it out at the slightest excuse.

As it is, some of its ministers have not performed in the Mahathir government. Add on the party’s shambolic gathering this weekend in Malacca against the orderly Umno assembly.

So, it must buck up. Especially as PH has 42 months left of its mandate and Anwar has been designated as the coalition’s next prime minister. If Anwar’s own party members behaves in such a shameful manner now, what more the PH pact later?

Anwar’s party members must know their performance in government and PKR assembly this weekend will reflect badly on him before he even gets the top job. 

They have to do better or all of them lose 20 years of political struggle with their disgraceful performance and behaviour. If anything, they can learn from Umno to at least have discipline at their meetings.

Or end up as a joke like that political party from years ago. – December 7, 2019.

 * Jahabar Sadiq runs The Malaysian Insight.