A SPECIAL forum organised by a pro-Pakatan Harapan (PH) grassroots group said its public conference on July 2 will be a forum to discuss a range of issues in the country and will take on the parliament format.

The forum, called Sidang Nadi Rakyat, will see participants from the public and civil society group leaders debating issues related to the rising cost of living and the surge in the prices of goods, among others.

Secretariat spokesman, Senator Fadhlina Sidek, told The Malaysian Insight that PH lawmakers will wind up the session.

PH chairman Anwar Ibrahim will speak at the forum’s closing.

Fadhlina, a senator from Penang, said the conference will be managed “just like Parliament” with its own “speaker”.

The Nadi Rakyat secretariat spokesman said the conference is to highlight current issues plaguing Malaysia and how they can be handled by the opposition.

The conference will also feature debates on education, public transport, cost of living, discrimination against women and youth, and children’s issues, she added.

“This is where normal people can voice their frustrations and present their own solutions to everyday problems,” said Fadhlina.

The conference will begin in Selangor on Saturday and will be taken to other states.

“We are still finalising the plans for the campaign in other states and will update the public when we have more details.”

Among the civil society groups which will attend the conference include Malaysian Islamic Youth Movement (Abim), Muslim group Ikram, Parti Tenaga Rakyat Sarawak (Teras) and Persatuan Kebangsaan Pelajar Islam Malaysia (PKPIM), she said.

Meanwhile, Fadhlina said that the conference will not be held at Dewan Hotel Tabung Haji in Kelana Jaya as planned earlier.

“The hotel just informed us that we will not be allowed to hold the conference there.

“The hotel, however, did not give any reasons for this. But we will update the public on the change of venue as soon as finalise the details for a new place,” she added. – June 29, 2022.