Adam said the principles that “PKR is for all” and “reformasi” have become the cornerstone for the country’s direction and reforms.
“This is especially through Malaysia Madani, a brainchild of the PKR president (Anwar Ibrahim),” he said when officiating the wing’s congress at Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC) today.
Adam referred to Anwar’s early writings in the Asian Renaissance, a collection of his essays touching on the concept of “La Convivencia”.
“La Convivencia” refers to a state where people of diverse backgrounds can live in complete harmony.
“However, harmony alone is not enough to build La Convivencia. The people of this region must also come together to build a nation that is home for all.
“No ethnic group, nationality, or religion can be excluded in this endeavour,” he said.
Similarly, Adam said, within PKR, there is a demonstration of mutual respect among members regardless of their viewpoints.
“Malays, Chinese, Indians, and Bumiputeras from Sabah and Sarawak with diverse views and political ideologies all have a place in the party,” he said.
He said each community contributes in their own way, based on their capabilities to uplift each other.
Earlier, FMT quoted a source as saying that non-Malay party leaders and members have been complaining among themselves about being increasingly sidelined since Anwar’s rise to power, despite strongly backing both him and the party over many years.
In particular, they point to his administration’s supposedly conservative stance on certain issues, including empowering the Islamic development department, ruling out the recognition of secularism and gay rights, and defending race-based affirmative action policies.
PKR’s non-Malay members’ concerns have also been compounded by the party’s decision to only nominate Malays for state exco posts in the Pakatan Harapan-run states of Penang, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan.
A time for action
Adam reminded delegates that now is not a time to “oppose for the sake of opposing”, but a time for action.
“This is not a time to attain victory, but a time to give meaning to our victory,” he said, referring to the party’s position as a member of the unity government.
He said the wing must play a vital role in being the government’s eyes and ears and convey the voice of the youth to those in power.
“Most of us have access to political leadership within our circles. Thus, it is incumbent upon us to serve as channels for the voices, viewpoints, ideas, aspirations, and grievances of this group,” he said.