Will the breaking of the PKR kill the power transition deal?

First, it is tough to find out that your party members are against you in a tricky power transition.

How is Anwar Ibrahim, the PM-to-be handling this situation? And what will be the consequences for Anwar to take over from Dr Mahathir Mohamad?

Since June, PKR is under threat of a breakup with some top leaders canvassing against Anwar.

They openly support Dr Mahathir, who is not from their party.

Strangely enough, an opposition coalition is also supporting the PM. Weird it is that the opposition has failed to play its role. Should it not be a front against a ruling coalition?

Nevertheless, there is an attempt to either break the PKR or remove Anwar and his team from the party.

It is a laborious task for his detractors and opponents to remove Anwar from the party. He has a strong grip on the party apparatus.

Nevertheless, the disease is in an advanced stage of the party. A group in the PKR built a crack team to create a powerful wing.

The infighting in the PKR suggests an under-the-table deal to keep Anwar on his toes and shake the party.

WHO IS BEHIND THE TURMOIL?

It serves someone’s purpose to keep the party in tatters, shattering its confidence and bringing it to the brink of collapse.

Who is behind the turmoil in the PKR? No one knows the origin of the infighting. Many are speculating it is someone from the outside. Others are saying it is Azmin Ali, the powerful Economic Affairs Minister who is behind it.

Some people though feels it is Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who is feeding the schism in the PKR.

Even so, let us put it this way: There is not enough evidence of outside interference in the PKR.

However, the root of the schism in the PKR took place after the 2013 defeat of the party in the May 13 elections.

The Sodomy 2 accusations follow the party’s defeat in the May 2013 elections. Before his jailing, the party had its elections in 2014. A most controversial one.

The PKR’s middle name is ‘controversial’, with money politics and manipulations dominating the 2014 elections. So say the observers.

It took the party five months to hold the vote and PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail retained her post without contest. Which was very controversial indeed because the party had followed the Umno in electing an uncontested leader?

Incumbent deputy president Azmin Ali however, beat Saifuddin Nasution, party sec-gen by 11,819 votes.

The third contender for the PKR deputy presidency, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, was disqualified after his sacking from the party on Aug 9, 2014.

Today, sources say his sacking had to do with a ‘cartel’ that had already taken hold of the party apparatus.

We all know the ‘cartel’ refers to the Azmin Ali wing, which strengthened itself since then.

And the cartel was the main player in the PKR-Bersatu talks and deals brokered to form the Pakatan Harapan coalition with Dr Mahathir’s Bersatu.

SECRET DEALS?

But we do not know what did the leaders speak of during negotiations for the formation of the bigger coalition to fight the Barisan Nasional in the 2018 elections.

What we know is there is a deal for Dr Mahathir to quit after some time and hand over power to Anwar. Anwar says the deal is for Dr Mahathir to leave after two years. Mahathir and his people appear to be fighting against this two-year timeline.

No one would fight against the transition if they do not have support from other PH parties.

And we know who in PKR is supporting Dr M to remain in power for the full term. And it is ridiculous for PKR members to go public in support for Dr Mahathir to remain PM while their leader is to take the post over.

As incredible and ridiculous it is, both the Umno-PAS opposition and the PKR cartel are in favour of Dr Mahathir to remain PM for the rest of the mandate. There must a hidden agenda under the stone.

POUND OF FLESH?

Earlier, we said we hardly know what transpired in the meetings leading to the formation of the Pakatan Harapan.

And what’s the real deal ironed to get Dr Mahathir back at the negotiation table?

Were there any secret talks and who were in these talks? On the other hand, it is hard to believe that Azmin and his team-mates including Zuraida Kamaruddin, Minister of Housing would go against their leader Anwar for nothing.

They must be up to something. Is it the ministerial post or is it a battle for the control of the party?

We know that Rafizi Ramli and Nurul Izzah were also present in the initial meet to get Bersatu on board the PH machinery.

Yet they are silent like stones and would not want to say anything regarding the ‘deal’ with Dr Mahathir.

Nevertheless, there must be a pound of flesh dangling somewhere on a hook in a meeting room and it must be part of a deal ironed in secret.

Otherwise, there is no reason for Azmin and his gang to run riot within their party. Hence, we got to know what were the offers made to the cartel in secret and by whom.

TROUBLE FOR ANWAR?

We also need to know what is the pound of flesh made of. Is the PM post promised to Azmin for him to keep his president Anwar on the tiptoes to fight for his grand entry as the country’s next PM?

Above all, it is clear there was a nod somewhere from someone for the cartel to carry out a systematic disruption of the PKR.

We will never know who is behind all this if the cartel wins a full-fledged war in the PKR.

Then, the truth about collusions between some PH leaders to undermine Anwar will never surface.

The promises made to the cartel will become clear if Anwar is to lose the party.

On top of that, if the PKR is to break into pieces, it will surely nullify the post-2018 elections deal.

Dr Mahathir will go public and say the deal is over because the PKR is a minority party or with Anwar not in the party, he cannot become the next PM.

The Renaissance dinner and the ruse used to get numerous people to attend the meet is, perhaps, another stage in the power struggle between Anwar and Azmin in the PKR.