PKR’s Special Congress Approves Constitutional Amendments to Improve Electoral Process
PETALING JAYA: PKR’s special congress today passed a series of amendments to its constitution aimed at improving the party’s electoral process, says its secretary-general Fuziah Salleh.
Background on the Amendments
The new amendments include increasing the number of delegates eligible to vote for PKR’s highest office-bearers and implementing gender and ethnic quotas for the delegates. This move is intended to address the issue of grassroots members lacking detailed knowledge about candidates and only voting based on name recognition or bloc voting.
Key Changes
- Increasing the number of delegates to 30,000 to strike a balance between grassroots participation and representation
- Implementing gender and ethnic quotas for delegates
- Allowing the "one person, one vote" principle to be implemented to elect branch leaders, who will then elect members of the central committee
- Setting quotas for women and ethnic groups based on electoral demographics
Reaction from PKR Leaders
Wong Chen, a member of the PKR central leadership council, said that the amendments will ensure that the "one person, one vote" principle is implemented to elect branch leaders, who will then elect members of the central committee. PKR president Anwar Ibrahim has also expressed support for the proposal.
Implementation of the Amendments
Fuziah Salleh stated that the party will implement the "one member, one vote" system at the division level, but not for the top six leadership positions and the 20 central leadership council members. This is intended to strike a balance between grassroots participation and representation.
Conclusion
The passage of the constitutional amendments marks an important step towards improving the PKR’s electoral process. The changes aim to increase transparency and fairness, and to give more representation to grassroots members. The party’s leadership has expressed optimism about the potential benefits of the new system, and it remains to be seen how it will affect the party’s internal dynamics and electoral success.
FAQs
Q: What are the key changes introduced by the constitutional amendments?
A: The amendments include increasing the number of delegates, implementing gender and ethnic quotas, and introducing the "one person, one vote" principle for branch leaders.
Q: How will the new system work?
A: The "one member, one vote" system will be implemented at the division level, with quotas set for women and ethnic groups based on electoral demographics.
Q: What is the purpose of the constitutional amendments?
A: The amendments aim to improve the party’s electoral process, increase transparency and fairness, and give more representation to grassroots members.