Anwar will be PKR’s downfall — Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani

The sacking of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his subsequent sentencing in his first sodomy trial gave birth to the Parti Keadilan Rakyat, or PKR, which caused many to heed its call for justice.

The chants of “Reformasi” echoed through the streets of Kuala Lumpur, which culminated into the electoral tsunami of 2008.

Twelve-years after its formation, Anwar still remains at the pinnacle in PKR and, to a greater extent, in Pakatan Rakyat.

However, the party’s recently concluded three-day national convention clearly showed that its delegates have forgotten why PKR was formed in the first place.

Yes, the party was formed due to the injustice against Anwar but PKR transcends any personalities — including the enigmatic leader himself.

They seemed to have confused themselves between upholding party principles and idolatry.

The party of reformists had only managed to produce high praise and undying support for its de facto leader instead of debating on constructive suggestions to reform the country and chart their way to Putrajaya in the coming snap election.

During party president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail’s keynote speech at the party’s national congress, she said Anwar was a gift from God to Malaysians.

This only further cemented party members’ zeal in strengthening the Anwar dogma.

Yesterday, Negri Sembilan delegate Ibrahim Yusoff defended Wan Azizah and went as far as likening the congress to the holy Muslim city of Mecca.

“Those that demonstrated outside at the national congress are like Muslims that went all the way to Mecca to demonstrate in front of the Kaaba,” he said.

With Anwar’s future uncertain due to his ongoing second sodomy trial, PKR must not rely on and accept the leader as the only possible solution to every problem plaguing the country and party.

Anwar may seem infallible to his loyal supporters but even Superman has his kryptonite. PKR needs to move beyond Anwar if it wants to fulfil its own destiny of becoming a national party.

Perhaps its members need to listen to Anwar’s own daughter, Nurul Izzah, when she said that PKR is a party of principles and not personalities.

“PKR is a party with dignity because we have struggled based on the principle of honesty and high moral values and not based on personality alone. We must distinguish between personalities with principles which mould personalities. Only principle and not personality should be institutionalised within our party,” she said

* Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani reports for The Malaysian Insider.