KLANG: After the beating PKR took following the Sheraton Move, the upcoming general election will be the catalyst that makes or breaks the party.
Having lost a number of federal and state seats after the defection of several elected representatives, PKR needs to strategise and win back seats of its former members to return the party to its previous heights following the 2018 polls.
To make matters worse, PKR has fared badly in the Johor, Melaka, Sabah and Sarawak state elections.
The 2022 election convention to be held on Saturday (Aug 27) will play a crucial role in reassuring party members that all will be well and PKR cannot be easily broken or defeated.
Convention director Manivannan Gowin said the gathering would be a full house event.
“We are expecting a big crowd with 3,000 members registered to attend the convention so far.
“Many grassroots members will be attending as they want to know our plans and strategies to move forward and for the general election,” he said when contacted on Friday (Aug 26).
According to Manivannan, all PKR’s problems and issues will be highlighted and discussed at the convention with both party president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his newly elected deputy Rafizi Ramli taking to the podium to speak with attendees.
“Both the president and deputy will speak for 45 minutes each.
“In his speech, Rafizi will reveal the strategies and plan at hand to overcome our problems,” said Manivannan.
He said party leaders were aware that the next general election would be a different ball game.
He said besides having to retake lost seats, the party will also have to prepare to face a changed electoral demographic as 18-year-olds can now vote, resulting in a slew of young first-time voters.
Manivannan added that the convention would be the starting point for PKR and its members to move forward in unison toward the GE15.
Observers say PKR has a big task ahead in selecting candidates to contest the seats held by those who defected.
One of the most notable is Datuk Seri Azmin Ali, who holds the Gombak parliamentary and Bukit Antarabangsa state seats both in Selangor.