PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said he would not want to direct attention to states like Kelantan and Terengganu, where he said the opposition has a strong voice.

“Let the opposition concentrate on defending Kedah, so that they won’t focus so much on Negeri Sembilan, Penang and such,” he said in his winding-up speech at PKR’s special congress here today.

Six states must hold elections to their state assemblies this year: Kedah, Kelantan, Negeri Sembilan, Selangor, Penang and Terengganu.

At the federal level, Saifuddin said the party’s first task is to defend the unity coalition government, which comprises 19 political parties.

“It is no easy feat to manage coalition politics. It requires plenty of patience and must be led by a person who is seasoned in the art of politics,” he said, as it also involves managing differences of opinion, moderating one’s own party’s interests, and taking the “give and take” approach.

He said the party must also manage its own internal discipline, adding that there is no shortcut to this.

Saifuddin, who is also PH secretary-general, said the government must be clear on its policies and programmes and be “politically offensive” in responding to the opposition’s criticisms.

He added that PKR should not engage in political wars involving racial sentiments, saying it would be counterproductive.

He said party members need not be heroes for their respective communities but be champions of all Malaysians, irrespective of race, religion and creed.