COMMENTARY, May 12 — The stage is set for Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) to morph into a political party with a clear cut political aspiration other than fulfilling party president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's goal to be prime minister.
That plan has been derailed many times and the current situation the party finds itself in seems to make that particular goal harder to reach.
Rafizi Ramli's attempt to replace Datuk Saifuddin Nasution Ismail as party secretary-general this weekend is considered a bold move to replace the old guards, purportedly preparing a platform for young voters and politicians to take over the party.
PKR has been stagnant the past two years since the Sheraton Move. The party's performance in the past few state elections has been abysmal. The party has lost its attractiveness, it has nothing new to offer.
Rafizi's timing may be right as a new generation is waking up to the call to replace the old guards.
He seems to be trying to get PKR to become more attractive to young people who are looking for opportunities to lead the country into a new post-Covid-19 era.
Within PKR itself, Rafizi has ruffled many feathers. The party is all about Anwar after all.
This weekend's contest may be crucial for Anwar because if the old guards are changed, his days in PKR are numbered. Or if the contest goes badly for Rafizi, he may have to join Syed Saddiq's new young politicians' platform.
