After morning ruckus, PKR Youth closes with focus on poor meeting attendance

PKR AGM | Poor meeting attendance was a key talking point at the latter half of the PKR Youth congress this afternoon.

During the debate session, Perak delegate Mohamad Rukhairil Aizat Mohamad Maharani pointed to the Youth central committee meeting attendance records.

"I want to remind PKR Youth leaders, whether central committee or women leaders, that their attendance records at meetings does not inspire confidence [...]

"Is this an example of a leader? If you do not attend meetings and do not offer a reason, resign!" Rukhairil said to applause from delegates. 

The records were found in the 2019 report book issued to all congress delegates and media personnel.

Among those who failed to attend a single meeting were exco members Athina Klaywa Sim, K Nagarajan, Mohd Akmal Hisyam Ahmad Tamyiz and Mohd Izad Budhary Mohd Kamri.

PKR Youth deputy chief Muhammad Hilman Idham also appeared to be one of the worst performers. He was marked present for just one meeting and appeared to have not given any reasons for missing the other seven.

“After this, whoever does not attend meetings, we should enforce the rules and get rid of them. Let us choose those who are more deserving, those who support (party president) Anwar Ibrahim,” Rukhairil said.

In his closing speech, PKR Youth chief Akmal Nasrullah Nasir (photo) noted Rukhairil’s points and stressed that party discipline was an important requirement of leaders.

“We need to be disciplined and that is why we need to hold meetings every month," he said.

"I leave it to the Youth leadership to decide what should be done about those leaders who have not even attended a single meeting in the past year,” he said.

Akmal added that the central committee members had been given the schedule for meetings at the beginning of the year itself.

Similar sentiments were echoed by Youth vice-chief Syed Badli Syed Osman.

“It is okay to hold differing opinions but why don’t you attend meetings? You don’t attend meetings but then you kick up a fuss in the media," said Syed Badli, without naming anyone.

"What is your real objective?” 

According to the records, Akmal had full attendance while Syed Badli had attended six out of eight meetings.  

Akmal thanks loyalists for staying

Akmal gave his closing speech after a morning marred by disagreements and violent clashes between youth members.

He labelled those who caused trouble earlier as pengkhianat (traitors), highlighting how debates inside the hall had run smoothly despite the incident.

He also thanked delegates in the hall for staying on past lunch, hailing them as having the true reformasi spirit.

Present in the morning, Hilman along with vice-chief Mohd Nazree Mohd Yunus were markedly absent in the afternoon. His supporters, dressed in light blue shirts, were also not seen.

Vacant seats meant for Hilman and Nazree. 

At a press conference held concurrently with the afternoon sessions but at a different venue, Hilman explained that he had skipped the second half of the congress due to security concerns.

He also called for the entire Youth congress to be nullified on grounds that some delegates were barred from entering the venue earlier.

Meanwhile, in his speech, Akmal cautioned against allowing corruption to take root among the youth in the party, citing Umno as an example.

“People say I am a stingy Youth chief [...] friends come and meet me at Parliament and they become tired of listening to me talk about reformasi.

“They come and ask me if there are projects for them [...] I am an MP, I don’t have any projects to give,” said Akmal, who is also Johor Baru MP.

Delegates were heard sniggering in response, with some shouting hanya timbalan (only the deputy) and timbalan banyak projek (the deputy has a lot of projects).  - Mkini