By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Aug 11: Cracks within Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) appear to be widening following Nurul Izzah Anwar’s move to step away from the party leadership and the resignation of its Subang MP, political analyst Dato Peter Minos says.
The developments have raised questions over PKR’s internal direction and whether the party can maintain cohesion ahead of the next general election, particularly as it grapples with dissatisfaction over its policies, electoral performance and reform credentials.
He said Nurul Izzah’s move could set a precedent for other members who become dissatisfied with the party’s direction.
“Nurul Izzah’s move was particularly significant because it could set a precedent for other party members who become dissatisfied with PKR’s policies, actions or direction,” he said in a statement.
PKR had stopped Nurul Izzah from resigning outright and instead asked her to take study leave, although the reasons behind her decision remain unclear.
Minos suggested PKR’s poor performance in the Sabah, Johor and Negri Sembilan State elections could be among the factors behind the development. He also raised the possibility of dissatisfaction over criticism of nepotism, differences over party policies and tensions with coalition partner Democratic Action Party (DAP).
“These are all maybes. Nobody is telling us what really went wrong in PKR,” he said.
For Minos, the more fundamental question is whether PKR has moved away from the reformist principles that originally drove its rise.
He recalled that PKR had initially attracted Malays, Chinese and Indians as a multi-racial party built around reform, but said its appeal had since been tested by questions over governance, policy delivery and the rising cost of living.
The party also faces a challenge in retaining Malay support, with Minos pointing to what he described as increasing alignment among Malay voters towards United Malays National Organisation (Umno) and Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS).
“The peninsular Malays facing DAP’s rough treatment are uniting and banding together in United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) and Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS). Malay unity is one big existential problem for PKR,” he said.
The resignation of the Subang MP has added to the concerns, particularly given the MP’s association with former PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli.
Minos described the departure as troubling for PKR and linked it to what he termed the “Nurul effect”, suggesting Nurul Izzah’s move could encourage others who are dissatisfied with the party to reconsider their position.
“Now PKR’s MP of Subang had left PKR, so openly and so defiantly. That is a ‘Nurul effect’,” he said.
Despite the developments, Minos believes PKR still has time to rebuild before the next general election.
He urged the party to focus on substantive reforms, improve governance, address issues affecting the public and move away from past political grievances.
“The party has one more year to really do solid reforms and do good governing. Getting rid of its vengeance streak, leaving the past behind and starting to reform itself and doing useful things for the people,” he said.
However, Minos cautioned that the window for recovery could be narrowing if voters had already formed firm views about PKR.
He said the party’s experience reflected a broader lesson for political parties: remaining faithful to the causes and promises that originally earned public support was essential to their survival.
“For any political party in the world, one thing is constant: stick to your original cause, keep to your promises to the people and not to waver, you go on and survive.
“If not, sooner or later you will slowly but gradually see your demise,” he said. — DayakDaily
