bobjots : redux

I was informed about a week ago that the long anticipated extraordinary general meeting (Kongress Khas or Special Congress) of Parti Keadilan Rakyat will finally be held this month. It was originally due to be held in February but the unveiling of the Perak crisis pre-empted any such plans.

Amongst the items to be raised during the Congress will be a series of important constitutional amendment proposals that will be presented to the floor for decision. According to the Malaysian Insider’s report, they are:

• Direct elections from all members for the party presidency and the national leadership;
• Term limits for the party president of three terms or nine years;
• Increasing the number of vice-presidents from five to seven;
• Appointments of State liaison chairpersons to require consultation with branches and divisions;
• Allowing the appointment of not more than one-third of members of state leadership councils to ensure one race does not dominate;
• Allowing federal and state lawmakers to attend all state leadership council meetings; and
• Affirmation of the official slogan for the party as “Justice For All”

The State liaison chairperson appointment clause was one of the sore points I had about the party since I was absorbed into it from her merger with my former party, Parti Rakyat Malaysia. I remember speaking out about it and asking that the delegates consider amending the constitution to allow for the election of the State chairpersons during the first Congress of the newly merged party that was held in Ipoh, Perak.

I was originally under the impression that the election of State chairpersons was in the agenda. Then again, the Malaysian Insider could’ve been mistaken. Assuming that the Malaysian Insider is correct, the current proposal still falls short of my ideal but I reckon that’s why I remain a member of the party. At the very least, I’d still have a voice to advocate for further, progressive changes within the party and help bring that to fruition.

Its pretty easy to merely gripe about what is perceived to be wrong about certain groups. Its the harder route to “be the change that you want to see” (to paraphrase Mahatma Gandhi) – harder not only because of the effort that needs to be put in, but also because of the tendency of us as human beings to occasionally fall into hypocrisy and be the very thing that we don’t want to be.

Anyway, jom kita berjumpa di Kongres nanti!