Thundering chants of “reformasi” with fists pumped in the air at the PKR congress in Malacca were tempered by party leaders’ sombre reflections on what has gone wrong for the ruling party that has led to a string of electoral defeats.
While many leaders, including party president Anwar Ibrahim, remained optimistic, their speeches indicated that the prime minister and the party needed to make changes fast if they did not want to keep losing at the polls.
These are the highlights from the four-day event.
Party admits fault, Fahmi bows
After the resounding defeats in Negeri Sembilan, Johor, and Sabah elections, PKR could no longer deny that its popularity was waning in favour of its political rivals BN and Perikatan Nasional, who were enjoying a meteoric rise.
This was reflected in the congress’ theme “Memugar Reformasi Membina Madani” (Reviving Reform, Building Madani).
The common narrative throughout the event was that the public could not be faulted for the loss of votes - the blame lay within the party itself.
Anwar himself addressed the issue, bluntly saying that PKR “badly” lost in the Negeri Sembilan polls despite increasing allocations for the state and attributing this to the party’s failure to communicate effectively as well as grasp grassroots struggles.
PKR members and leaders widely agreed that it needed to work on its communication strategy, perceiving successful policies as having failed to reach voters.
The party’s information chief, Fahmi Fadzil, took responsibility for this and bowed low to the crowd during his speech this morning.
Fahmi, who is also the communications minister, said that PKR needed to adapt to a phenomenon he observed from the Negeri Sembilan polls: “emotions taking precedence over performance”.
The government has consistently struggled with communication strategies, with Anwar acknowledging the issue as far back as 2023.
Anwar says sorry, dangle ‘reform’ carrots
In addition to admitting PKR’s communication failures, Anwar took a conciliatory tone during his opening remarks on Saturday, calling on former allies to return to the party’s “struggle” as it continued to bleed support.
This followed the departure of a few party leaders - most recently former Subang MP Wong Chen, who joined PKR splinter party Bersama.
Anwar took a more defensive position in his closing speech today, while trying to convince critics that they are wrong about the state of the economy and aid to the public under his administration.
Anwar also made several key policy announcements during the congress that appeared aimed at bolstering support for the party.
This included announcing that the government will finally fulfil a Pakatan Harapan campaign promise to abolish the University and University Colleges Act (UUCA).
The premier also announced an additional RM1 million allocation for each Parliament constituency, saying this would go directly to the people.
He is expected to make more announcements on Monday, in preparation for Budget 2027.
Hope remains for Anwar's second term
Despite the setbacks and perceived desperation for support, party leaders maintained an air of optimism for its future, saying they’ve seen worse.
“Our lowest point is not today,” PKR secretary-general Fuziah Salleh said yesterday, pointing to the 2004 general election, when PKR was reduced to a single parliamentary seat in Permatang Pauh - won with a razor-thin majority - and Anwar was still imprisoned.
At the time, she said, members left the party en masse, and many doubted that it could survive.
Women chief Fadhlina Sidek in her speech today reminded delegates that the party had proved these critics wrong, as members kept the flame of PKR’s struggle alive and successfully carried Anwar to the premiership.
Veteran bureau representative Zukri Aksah said it was sheer stubbornness as well as loyalty that kept the party alive after 2004, and their resilience rewarded them in 2008 when Pakatan Rakyat won five states and denied BN a two-thirds majority in the Dewan Rakyat.
Speaking during the debate session yesterday, the Pahang PKR secretary recalled the sacrifices made by members who joined between 1999 and 2007, claiming that many had lost careers, went bankrupt, or were outcasts to their families.
PKR also rallied around Anwar, hoping that he would remain prime minister in the next election.
Fadhlina called on members to ensure Anwar’s second term so that PKR can continue to implement reforms to combat “decades” of decay.
Meanwhile, PKR deputy president Nurul Izzah Anwar, who made her “final” speech before taking leave from her post, said that if her father does get a second term, he should focus on wage reforms.
The road to the next general election does not look like an easy one for PKR as it needs to grapple with internal friction, the loss of battle-tested leaders, brewing dissent with federal bedmates Umno, and increasingly disenchanted voters.
One thing’s for sure: PKR’s next struggle will be its battle to retain Putrajaya.
Until then, Anwar has ordered the party to “work now and work hard” and not take any shortcuts. - Mkini
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