Surendran: PKR morally dead, what’s to celebrate?

Malaysiakini : Former PKR vice-president N Surendran did not mince words when sharing his feelings about the party’s 25th anniversary over the weekend.

Pouring cold water on the milestone, he described the Anwar Ibrahim-led party as “morally dead”. After promising reforms for more than two decades since its inception, the former Padang Serai MP accused PKR of dishing out “excuses” after coming into power.

“What’s to celebrate?” he said on the social media platform X. “For 25 years, they promised reform. In power - no reforms, only excuses,” he added.

Former PKR vice-president N Surendran

Surendran, who was one of PKR’s most vocal leaders in the past, said those who “fought and risked jail to bring PKR to power, fought for nothing”.    “It is a morally dead party, propped up by the trappings of power, focused only on staying in power,” he added.

‘Shameful silence’

Surendran had quit PKR in February this year after expressing disappointment with Pakatan Harapan’s “shameful silence” on the sedition probe against former DAP lawmaker Tony Pua over his remarks about the commutation of ex-premier Najib Abdul Razak’s prison sentence and fine.

He announced his resignation on X after crossing swords with Harapan communications director Fahmi Fadzil, who told him to adhere to party discipline when airing his grievances. “Fahmi, never mind party discipline. I’ve not been an active party member for a long time anyway.

“I asked about the reforms PKR once promised. No decent answer to that. There is no point in being a member of a party that no longer represents change and reform. Take this as my resignation,” Surendran responded. Prior to this, he posted a photograph of himself with Anwar at a press conference in 2014 to condemn the Sedition Act with the caption: “How low my old comrades have sunk…”

BrownDove7179 : Many of the rakyat, both the educated and the ordinary ones have lost faith in both PKR and DSAI.

Kilimanjaro : The DAP has to make a fundamental choice - whether to stand up for the NMs or for all Malaysians. Lately it seems to be fishing for Malay votes too, something that Amanah, PKR and even UMNO had failed miserably.

Of course, it cannot be mistaken that the DAP's cynical attempt to fight for all Malaysians is nothing more than to attract the Malay voters who had consistently shown their contempt towards the DAP. What else can it be other than its foolish foray into their politics. With the NM votes already in its pocket its dream and attempt and going out of its way to please the Malays is going to be a mischievous misadventure.

That is what seems to be bedeviling the DAP Ministers in the Cabinet. The Malays have had given a clear choice - that their mind and soul is with the very Malay parties. While MCA and the MIC may not be in the same measure as UMNO within the BN configuration, their stand in the BN Council is all the same with veto powers on the admission of new parties into their fold.

But Bersatu and PAS will only allow NM to be second-class members - the Malays want to be in supreme control and though the PKR top leadership are Malays, it has been chastised as a multiracial party. It is an established fact now that NM parties wishing to stand for the rights of the NM parties cannot and should not be sucked into coalitions dominated by Malays.

The MCA and the MIC suffered this setback during the BN days and who can doubt that the DAP is facing the same dilemma now. For all it wants it can provide support from the outside like the GPS of Sarawak. The GPS supporters will roast their leaders alive had they joined BN, PN or even PH. The adamant attitude of the DAP and PH will affect current and future chances for both.

The indecisive DAP dragged us all along to the demise of a PH Govt. The Govt may have fell had the DAP pulled out then but what did the DAP achieve by going along with a PH Govt - it eventually fell anyway. For now, the DAP should not get too greedy in having the whole of this country under its thumb. It simply cannot.

May be in 100, 200 or 500 years, there could be a remote possibility where we can all hold hands together. Or may be that will never happen at all. If the DAP wants to survive it has no choice - it has to get out of PH and only provide support to any Malay party from the outside that will consider NM as equals.

Otherwise it will ruin itself. It has to stop the pretense of enjoying cabinet positions. Let me say this loud and clear. Today Zahid and other Malay leaders are appealing to the MCA and MIC to help out in the campaigning in KKB. That is so mean of Zahid and UMNO. They were offered seven Ministers; posts but it didn't occur to Zahid to offer one each to MCA and MIC in the spirit of BN.

Where is the magnanimity supposed to be existent in coalition politics. Neither did it occur to Anwar that when a losing PKR candidate can be made a senator and a Minister, why did he fail to see the larger picture of inviting the MCA and MIC into the Cabinet. The point is, Anwar's idea of trimming his Cabinet applies only to the NM, not the Malays.

Perhaps now one can understand why there are two Malay Ministers from Amanah. The total reliance on NM parties to voice out their frustrations has been a pathetic failure. The time has come for voters to send a strong message that they (the voters) matter.

My position is clear - I will boycott the election. Delineations and gerrymandering has made a mockery of elections in this country. Are they following the Constitution in respecting the rights of all voting citizens? It is a sham really.

Read the rest of the 66+ comments here.......