Sex scandal, fist fight set scene for Malaysia’s ruling PKR party AGM
- Youth members of the People’s Justice Party throw stones and punches in scuffle that underlines the fragile state of Pakatan Harapan’s biggest member
- Fracas comes just days after claims emerged that the party’s president Anwar Ibrahim had sexually assaulted a 26-year-old man
Stones were thrown and punches exchanged by youth members attending an annual meeting of the People’s Justice Party (PKR). Observers said the scuffle underlined the fragile state of the party, which has the most parliamentary seats and is part of the ruling Pakatan Harapan coalition.
The brawl comes just days after one faction threatened to hold a parallel party congress on the same day as the official national meeting, although party president and prime minister-hopeful Anwar Ibrahim put paid to this by threatening to sack any members who attended alternative gatherings.
The PKR has been beset by internal strife since the general election last year.
While the party has tried to put on a united front, public clashes between deputy president Azmin Ali, who is also a cabinet minister, and Anwar have raised eyebrows.
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The Economic Affairs Minister has also not attended a single PKR meeting since fraught internal party elections last November, which saw widespread accusations of cheating and electoral impropriety.
Anwar was previously with the United Malays National Organisation (Umno), which ran the government for more than six decades before being dumped from power. He was sacked by Mahathir – who served a previous term as prime minister in the 1980s and 1990s – and then led the PKR. However, he was then imprisoned twice on what he claims were politically trumped up charges of sodomy.
Before the general election last year, Anwar and Mahathir found themselves sharing a common enemy – their former party Umno – and mended ties. After the Pakatan Harapan coalition’s win, Anwar received a royal pardon and a promise from Mahathir that he would be the next prime minister.
SEX ASSAULT CLAIMS
Adding to the PKR’s internal friction, accusations that Anwar had sexually assaulted a 26-year-old man surfaced this week, in a twist that analysts say could further split the two warring factions.
Anwar says the allegations are politically-motivated slander.
“Team Anwar will become more defensive of Anwar and Team Azmin will point to these allegations as proof that Anwar is an unfit leader,” said political scientist Azmil Mohd Tayeb. Azmin has himself been the target of accusations of sexual impropriety.
Azmin has denied being one of two men in a sex video that went viral in June. A PKR member has since said he and Azmin were the two people in the video. The case remains under police investigation, and police chief Abdul Hamid Bador has said the leader of a political party was behind the release of the video.
Malaysia’s Anwar says sexual assault claim is ‘politics at its worst’
In contrast, at a concurrent AGM by the former ruling party, proceedings were calm as bigwigs discussed ways to restore the party’s once formidable clout and shore up support.
“It’s far more subdued than before. In previous years we would see Umno leaders waving the keris [a traditional Malay dagger] and making overtly racist statements. Now they are calling for inclusivity and ideological shifts,” said Azmil.
However, observers say this is no shift in tactics.
In response to its fall from political grace, Umno – made up solely of ethnic Malay-Muslims – has shifted gears and teamed up with Malaysia’s largest Islamic political party, using racially-charged rhetoric in an attempt to retain its main vote bank, which makes up over 60 per cent of the population.
Although Umno does have younger, more progressive voices calling for internal reform, “Umno’s post-[election] politics of formalised collaboration with the Islamic Party of Malaysia has paid dividends,” said Harris Zainul, a researcher at the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia.
However, because a slew of Umno leaders – including former prime minister Najib Razak and former deputy prime minister Zahid Hamidi – are currently on trial for corruption and abuse of power, “the top position seems to be up for grabs,” said Harris.
The real problem, said Harris, was the perception that the government was more focused on politicking rather than governance.
“Apart from the most fervent supporters of PKR and Pakatan Harapan, it is safe to say that the people are getting increasingly frustrated about the lack of concrete initiatives from the Ministry of Economic Affairs which Azmin Ali helms. For most, bread and butter issues have not been addressed in any meaningful manner,” he said.
This was echoed by Awang Azman Awang Pawi of University Malaya’s Institute of Malay Studies.
“PKR is still arguing about who should hold power rather than properly determining the direction of the party. Meanwhile, it appears as if Umno is perhaps starting to want to change, even if it is going slowly. If PKR does not come to some sort of consensus, Pakatan Harapan may well be a one-term government.”
