PKR needs recovery plan to avoid ‘disastrous’ GE16 defeat, says Tian Chua

Pahang People’s Rally (PKR) must devise and implement a robust recovery plan to avoid a disastrous defeat in the next general election, warns veteran party leader Tian Chua. The recent defeats in the Johor and Negeri Sembilan state elections could be attributed to weaker support from PKR's grassroots. Former vice-president Tian Chua, who was sacked by the party in 2023 for contesting against PKR's chosen candidate, said that party leaders must act like corporate turnaround consultants and change the reality instead of merely commenting on it.

The weakening of PKR's grassroots is one of the factors behind its defeats in the recent state elections. Many PKR supporters who took part in the 1998 Reformasi movement felt neglected after PKR entered government, as they felt that a gap emerged, and it became wider. The problem extends beyond party veterans, and ordinary supporters whose contributions have been crucial to the party have also felt demotivated.

Competing expectations exist among Chinese and Indian voters, who feel PKR has not fought hard enough for their rights, and Malay voters see the party as neither here nor there, not defending what they perceive as the erosion of Malay rights. PKR must remain consistent in promoting policies that cut across ethnic divisions, even if the approach is not immediately popular, and warn against relying on last-minute policies to win back support.