The trial of Irene Fernandez, the longest-running criminal trial in our history, clearly illustrates just how in need of reform our judiciary is.
That the government had no case against Fernandez should have been obvious from the get go but her acquittal also serves as a reminder that truth and justice will eventually prevail. Finally, the veteran activist’s fight for the humane treatment of migrant workers was vindicated in the eyes of the law.
As Parti Keadilan Rakyat holds its 10th annual congress this weekend, it’s perhaps a good time to look at the Fernandez (who is a member of its supreme council) trial as a reminder that change does not come easy nor quick.
Buoyed by its success in the 8 March elections, the party certainly has a right to be jubilant. One election ago, it barely hung on to one seat. Today, in Parliament, PKR is not only the biggest opposition party, it is second only to Umno.
It is an awesome achievement for the young party. After 10 years of dramatic victories and setbacks, of battling imprisonment, betrayals and water cannon, PKR too has been vindicated.
Today, many Malaysians look to the party as hope for a democratic, progressive and multiracial nation. It is, in many ways, the political party of the future, the antithesis, at least in principle, of the racially divisive politics the country has suffered under for decades.
More than any other political party, PKR has the opportunity to transform the nation.
Not surprisingly, the establishment has come out strong against the party.
The status quo, it should be emphasised, is more than just Umno or BN. Both PKR’s partners in Pakatan have also periodically exhibited their resistance to change. Even within PKR itself, there are recalcitrant leaders.
But given the position it is in today, the party needs to be bold in pushing its agenda and vision. With PKR’s progressive ideals of Ketuanan Rakayat and the Malaysian Economic Agenda, it should be Umno, with its outdated rhetoric, that should be on the defensive. Unfortunately, it sometimes seems the other way around.
The worst thing PKR could do is to become paralysed by its success. The establishment and its lapdog media will continue to lie and smear, but that is nothing new. They have always been against this momentum of change, from the day Anwar Ibrahim was sacked. They do so because their masters find PKR the biggest threat to their hegemony.
However, it’s important to remember that, despite their efforts, the Pakatan coalition managed to pull off the biggest electoral swing in Malaysian history.
Utusan, despite its bluster, doesn’t dictate the political mood.
It is heartening to know that the party has recently started a campaign to reach out to the Malay ground across the country.
PKR must not end up another Gerakan, which started out with multiracial credentials, but ended up, like the DAP, a Chinese-dominated party. If it does, it will be another generation before a truly Malaysian party emerges again.
It’s also good that the party is conducting training at national and branch levels to promote the multiracial, progressive vision of its top-level leaders. If PKR is to remain a sustainable party, it must be able to move beyond the leaders of today.
Otherwise, it will end up another cult of personality, which is what ails too many of our political parties today.
Considering the spike in membership after the recent general election victory, it’s imperative that the new members have a deep and sincere appreciation of the party founders’ original struggles, many of which can be traced back to far before 1998, whether in civil society or in PRM, before it merged with Parti Keadilan Nasional.
These struggles go beyond just defeating Umno electorally. As it meets in Shah Alam this weekend, the PKR will have much to think about that it never had to before.
It is both an opposition party and a governing one. It is a strong party that remains weak in terms of internal structure and organisation. It needs to strengthen its base and yet, at the same time, must expand to places and communities beyond the urban areas, such as Sabah and Sarawak.
These are issues that only come with success, so clearly the party has done many things right thus far.
But as it charts its course for the future, PKR would do well to remember that none of its achievements came quickly or easily. After all, it did take Fernandez 13 years to clear her name for doing the right thing.
