In March 2021, Kuala Langat MP Dr Xavier Jayakumar resigned from PKR to support then prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin.
Xavier had been a part of the opposition party since 1998 when it was called Parti Keadilan Nasional, and his daughter, Sangetha Jayakumar, quickly followed in his footsteps in 2007.
Now the PKR Women vice-chief, Sangetha, admitted in an interview with Malaysiakini that perhaps her father did not make the right call in defecting.
However, she maintained that her own journey in politics is independent of Xavier's career choices.
"My father's decision to leave PKR is his decision. As a PKR member and a member of the opposition, of course, I wish it (his defection) did not happen.
"However, I can only be accountable for my own actions and in that light, I hope the rakyat will be able to discern and evaluate my contribution towards nation-building based on merit.
"At the 2019 party congress, I had already resolved to make my own path. Speaking at that congress was possibly one of the more challenging things I have done," she said.
Sangetha said she worked hard in 2020 to ensure that PKR Women and especially its Selangor division remained intact and solid in the light of the defections that took place.
"I assumed the mantle of the Women's chief of Selangor and held together 18 out of 22 divisions," she said during a written interview with Malaysiakini.
Sangetha said she was committed to the reform agenda, having devoted her career to a multitude of community projects through the party and championing women's rights.
"I am here to stay in PKR. I am committed to its reform agenda, especially to developing more community-based projects and always towards achieving the goal of mainstreaming women within the organisation and community.
"I believe that we must have both the aspects of grassroots community building and also at the same time fight for reformed policy and good governance," she said.
Apart from defending her seat as the national vice-chief in the Women's wing, Sangetha is also vying for the position of the Kota Raja division chief in the upcoming PKR polls, which are scheduled to take place from May 13 to 22.
She said the response to her campaigning has been very warm and welcoming, with a large and diverse team of 18 people backing her.
Helping the community
Sangetha said she had been one of the founding members of the Kota Raja division, having been its Youth Secretary in 2007, when it formed after the Shah Alam division was divided post-delineation in 2006. At the time, she was only 22 years old.
Since then, Sangetha has continuously worked in the area, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.
"I set up a community centre in Taman Sentosa in June last year during the pandemic and founded Lead Up Malaysia, an umbrella organisation for smaller NGOs to unite under in order to access funding and resources to do work on the ground.
"I am also currently a board member of the Kiwanis Club of Klang. So throughout the pandemic and the following floods that hit us hard in Kota Raja - especially in Taman Sentosa, Kg Jawa, Bukit Kemuning, and Taman Sri Muda - we have been consistently helping the community by giving out aid in the form of food aid, wheelchairs, mattresses and pillows, diapers, among others for adults and children," she said.
Sangetha added that one serious problem was that Covid-stricken families had no way of getting food, and not everyone could afford to use food delivery or buy groceries online.
"For economically challenged families, buying food physically in shops every few days depends on the money they have on hand. So to prevent Covid-positive people from leaving their houses, we delivered groceries to many doorsteps," she said.
Race politics
Sangetha told Malaysiakini that she was first drawn to PKR due to it being a multi-racial party.
The former PKR Youth vice-chief always thought she would be a lawyer but joined politics through her family's influence.
"I strongly believe that if you want to make lasting and real change, you have to be in the political arena. Otherwise, working in non-governmental organisations only gets you so far.
"For me, because I have been largely focused on young women and also youth at the grassroots level, I find that engagement only happens when we start thinking and actively assessing the needs of the youth.
"There must first be some sort of dialogue where we as a political party show concern for the issues that affect them. Only then are they interested and willing to participate," she said.
Speaking about race politics, Sangetha said she was optimistic that the younger generation has become "colour blind" and values leaders based on their merit.
"I think more and more the younger generation is becoming colour blind. It isn't widely spread enough, but I am optimistic that race politics is losing its grip in Malaysia.
"Ideally, I would wish that race is no longer a barrier, but we aren't there yet. Race was used since the war as a means to retain power. Race and power go hand-in-hand for BN, and without race politics, they simply cease to exist.
She said that younger people, especially those 40 years and below, that were raised in urban or semi-urban neighbourhoods grew up side-by-side with other races, especially in schools, no longer subscribed to racial politics.
"I find this category prepared to choose their leaders on the basis of merit.
"The older generation, many were raised and grew up under the divide and rule administration of BN, and as the country prospered, they felt that was the best way to govern Malaysia, not realising more and more that an income gap was being created between the rich and the poor in every class of race," she said.
Sangetha added that it was imperative for veteran MPs who have been in the public service for decades to step down, as it is time for new blood.
"I think there must be a balance between experienced leadership and new leadership. However, there also comes a point where one has overstayed one's tenure," she said. - Mkini
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