By Clara Chooi
IPOH, Nov 15 – It is a case of once bitten, twice shy for PKR in Perak. After two of its members deserted the party earlier this year and caused the state’s Pakatan Rakyat government to fall, the party is now going all out to ensure the credibility of its candidates by training them way ahead of the next general election.
During its state convention here yesterday, the state party leadership told division leaders in the 20 state constituencies that the party is set to contest, to field three candidates each by next Friday.
State party chairman Mustaffa Kamil Ayub said that this would give the party leadership ample time to screen through the background of all its candidates prior to the elections.
“It will also give them time to go down to the ground and serve the people through their branches and divisions.
“They will be able to gain better exposure and experience,” he told a press conference after the launch of the convention.
Mustaffa said that typically, election candidates were only fielded about one or two months before the elections.
“But in view of the mistakes we made before, we have decided to start now. Whether or not we will face snap state elections in the next few months or the general elections in the next few years, we will be ready,” he said.
He added that the party admitted to its mistakes in the past but was ready to push on and move on from it.
“We regret our mistakes in the past where two of our candidates, for whatever reason, decided to leave us.
“But we are ready to show to the people that we are serious and that we mean business,” he said.
In early February this year, PKR’s Behrang assemblyman Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi and Changkat Jering assemblyman Mohd Osman Mohd Jailu, both of whom were also state executive councillors in the government, left the party to become Barisan Nasional-friendly Independents.
Their shocking actions had caused the PR government the entire state and had caused the impasse that Perak is still currently embroiled in till today.
Besides fielding early candidates, Mustaffa said the party also planned to prepare key performance indicators (KPIs) for its state assemblymen and members of parliament.
“I want the KPIs submitted to me as soon as possible. It is not that we do not trust the work of our representatives but we want to ensure that the people are getting the best service from our people,” he said.
In a ceramah later last night, PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim told the crowd that had gathered beneath the rain that he was “fed up” and “tired” of all the problems plaguing PKR regarding its candidates.
“That is why I am saying this now – you want to be a candidate, you must go through the necessary training. You must be strong and you must be capable to hold the post.
“If you are not and if our current representatives are not, then I tell you, the people, to not give support to these people. Do not support them when they contest,” he exclaimed to thunderous applause.
Anwar cited examples of Port Klang assemblyman Badrul Hisham Abdullah, Jamaluddin and Mohd Osman as PKR’s untrustworthy candidates.
“I was told time and time again, ‘Anwar you have to throw out Badrul. He cannot be trusted’ but yet I held on.
“In Perak, we insisted on trying to cajole and speak with Jamaluddin and Mohd Osman but look what good it did to us.
“This is why, we cannot accept it anymore,” he said.
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