Not allowing PKR members to contest the party's top two posts will prevent it from preparing for what comes after Anwar Ibrahim steps down as president.
According to Sunway University political scientist Wong Chin Huat, PKR's three-term limit for party posts means that Anwar's presidency will end soon.
He said PKR badly needs a successor plan that is not dictated by Anwar and instead subject to the preferences of the party's delegates.
This is to help the party navigate uncertainty and "winner-takes-all" outcomes, Wong explained.
"As Anwar's party presidency ends three to four years down the road, would he put his personal interest over his party's interest, as Indonesian President Joko Widodo did last year?
"Things would be better for Anwar, the stability of PKR and Malaysia if he can lay down a 10-year term limit on prime ministership such that his inevitable transition by 2032 (by which Anwar would be 85) would be clearer right from now," Wong told Malaysiakini.
The party constitution permits each president to serve up to three terms. PKR secretary-general Fuziah Salleh previously clarified that this does not mean Anwar cannot continue as prime minister even if he is no longer PKR president.
Yesterday, PKR international bureau chairperson Shamsul Iskandar Md Akin said that the party president and deputy president posts might not be contested in the upcoming internal polls in May.
Shamsul revealed that the proposal for the two posts not to be contested was based on internal discussions and feedback from previous consultations.
There has been no official decision on the matter yet, but the proposal aims to maintain the party's internal stability, he added.
Undemocratic particularly for reformists
However, Wong said preventing party members from contesting the top two positions will only provide PKR with short-term peace.
Such a move is not only undemocratic, but it will also undermine the party's reformist image, he added.
"If this is done through a resolution to forbid competition, this is definitely undemocratic and PKR would be seen as internally authoritarian rather than reformist, like Umno.
"However, if this emerges as the outcome of leaders supporting the top two, and no one wanting to offer themselves as challengers, like Bersatu, then it is less damaging to its image.
"In any case, it is not glorious for PKR to be compared to either Umno or Bersatu on internal democracy," Wong said.
Resentment could rise
Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) School of Communication and Media senior lecturer Ismail Sualman opined that if PKR prohibits competition for the presidency and deputy presidency, it could cause the party to lose more than it would gain.
"PKR risks discouraging internal talent from rising, leading to stagnation in leadership. It may create resentment among members who feel sidelined.
"The party could lose voter confidence, as people may perceive it as prioritising hierarchy over democratic renewal," he said.
Ismail added that realistically, neither Anwar nor his deputy Rafizi Ramli would likely lose their positions in an open contest and both would retain their dominance.
In the previous party election, the hottest contest was for the deputy president post with Rafizi defeating Saifuddin Nasution Ismail by 19,000 votes.
The professor, however, warned that Anwar could risk losing the presidency should a challenger rise against him over governance issues such as the rising cost of living and political compromises.
Open contest more credible
Similarly, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) political science associate professor Syaza Shukri touted the benefits of an open contest.
"If they allow the posts to be contested, they gain credibility that the president and deputy are really leaders chosen by members and deserve to lead the party for the next three years.
"By not allowing competition they are opening themselves to more criticism from Malaysians and the opposition that PKR has gone astray," she pointed out.
If PKR's priority truly is stability then it should not allow others to take cheap shots at the party, she added.
"How is it stable if people can use this against them?" she asked. - Mkini
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