By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR - Pakatan Rakyat (PR) will soon announce its official charter, setting out the tenets for alliance to become a formal political coalition and alternative to the Barisan Nasional (BN).
The Malaysian Insider understands that the charter will establish a presidential council, with each PR coalition member allocated three seats each in what will be its highest decision making body. PR came into being in April following DAP, Pas and PKR’s stunning performances in the March general election. However, it has never been officially registered. Speaking to The Malaysian Insider yesterday, PR secretariat member Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad confirmed that the seven-point charter only required some “finishing touches.” “It will articulate our common objectives and vision at federal and state levels and enshrine the rights guaranteed in the Federal Constitution,” the Pas research chief said, calling it “the last nail” in formalising PR. The charter appears to deal specifically with concerns on the ground by different ethnic groups fearful of being sidelined by a PR government. Among the highlights are the safeguarding of Bumiputera rights under Article 153 of the constitution and also religious freedom under Article 11. Other key areas touch on PR’s political thrust, such as the commitment to transparency and the rule of law, and the Malaysian Economic Agenda that promises to ensure that the marginalised poor of all communities are protected instead of the Bumiputera-affirming New Economic Policy in practice now. DAP publicity chief Tony Pua told The Malaysian Insider that the charter was finalised last week and it is now simply awaiting approval. “It will be the basis of a common platform, very much like how an election manifesto governs an electoral alliance, this will be the guidelines for Pakatan Rakyat,” the Petaling Jaya Utara MP said. Dzulkefly, who is also Kuala Selangor MP, added that the next item on the road map would be increasing the frequency of secretariat meetings leading up towards a January retreat for PR leaders which he described as a “coalition building workshop.” Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had also touched on this retreat yesterday, which among other things, would firm up policies in the administration of PR-ruled states. The de facto PKR leader said that PR was progressing steadily and that state-level secretariats are also being formed to ensure better cooperation within the tripartite coalition. He said this to reporters in Parliament to rebut suggestions that DAP and Pas were still at odds in certain issues. Yesterday, the Chinese vernacular press reported that Pas Selangor was trying to control sales of alcohol in the state, a move which has irked the secularist DAP. There have also been flashpoints with regards to Bumiputera quotas, the appointment of a non-Muslim to head the Selangor Development Corporation (PKNS) and protests by the Islamic party against certain concerts deemed immoral. The Malaysian Insider understands that despite having announced the coalition nearly eight months ago, the three partners have been apprehensive in registering PR as an official organisation, with the lessons of the aborted Barisan Alternatif which was formed in 1999, still fresh in their minds. Back in 1999, the Barisan Alternatif alliance had been strained by Pas’s commitment to forming an Islamic state which led to DAP withdrawing in Sep 2001. However, as Pas has softened its stance and presented a more moderate front, the electoral pact for the March 8 general elections has continued beyond that with the formation of five joint state governments and a unified force of 81 MPs in Parliament. The main obstacle towards registering PR as an official coalition is a legal requirement in the Societies Act, where seven parties are required to form a political coalition. As of now, PR can in fact, boast of five members as Parti Socialis Malaysia and the Malaysian Democratic Party are nominally under the umbrella of PKR. This, however, is a mere technicality and the approval of the charter will be the clearest sign yet of the commitment towards a cohesive opposition coalition.
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