March retreat for Pakatan Rakyat

2010/02/09

KUALA LUMPUR: Besieged with problems, the opposition pact of PKR-DAP-PAS, or better known as Pakatan Rakyat, will hold a series of retreats next month to brainstorm strategies to counter "attacks" from the Barisan Nasional. Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) vice-president Azmin Ali said the first retreat would be for the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) partners in Selangor on March 7, followed by the national-level retreat on March 10 or 16 in Penang.

The national-level retreat would be in conjunction with the PR's second anniversary of taking control of several state governments.

"We have to prepare ourselves to fight back. Now we are more determined to fight than before. This is part of our strategies," he said when contacted today.

He said the PR would not be sitting ducks but would pick their time to fight back and would not disclose their strategies.

He maintained that the PR's biggest strength was when they acted as a united and formidable front.

Lately, the PR, especially PKR, had come under intense bad publicity, with their own leaders critising each other openly to the extent that several leaders had been referred to the disciplinary board.

These include disagreements over the "Allah" issue among the Selangor PR leaders and verbal attacks on Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng's leadership by PKR.

Bayan Baru MP Datuk Seri Zahrain Hashim and Nibong Tebal MP Tan Tee Beng have been running down Lim over the last one week and Wangsa Maju MP Wee Choo Keong has joined the fray.

Several PKR leaders have been referred to the disciplinary committee for going on the offensive against their PR comrades.

They include MP for Kulim-Bandar Baru Zulkifli Nordin, Zahrain, Tan, and PR secretariat chief Datuk Zaid Ibrahim.

There is also speculation that at least 10 MPs from the opposition pact will be leaving the party due to internal differences.

Some of them have denied such move but if it happens, it will be a major blow for the PR.
-- BERNAMA