There comes a time when general ideas will no longer be enough... We want to know specifics...i.e. what exactly are you going to do...
I went to the Parti Keadilan website, and looked at what they are fighting for ... and I could not see much of a difference from what the Prime Minister and the BN is fighting for...
**Building a society that is just and a country that is democratic, progressive and for unity amongst people irrespective of race and/or religion
- How does it differ from what the BN government is saying
- Save for Perak, where Nizar had elections for traditional kampungs for them to chose their own leaders (and Chang Lih Kang had elections for 1 Kampung Baru) - there seem to be nothing much to bring greater democracy even in the states that Pakatan Rakyat rules, or even the constituencies that are under the Pakatan Rakyat. Local Council elections also have been forgotten after they came into power. Senators - people could have democratically chosen or indicated their preferences - but alas, this was not done and the parties picked their own Senators...
Universal Health Care - is the PKR fighting for this? Not sure.
Will they be repealing the Official Secrets Act? Not sure. Apparently local councilors also had to take the oath of secrecy. And a perusal of the websites of Local Councils, Pakatan State Governments see not much of this openness, transparency, ...
Will the ISA and Detention Without Trial Laws be repealed immediately (set time frame please)... or will they not do so when they come into power...and then use it to arrest and detain its own political opponents.
Will the RELA be abolished - or not?
Will Death Penalty be abolished?
Will they set up immediately the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC)?
Will tols be abolished? mmm...that was good for election campaigns - but when they came to power, they forgot about it..
Anwar has declared war.... to retain Selangor - but, unless PKR and Pakatan go beyond slogans...and commit to real things that they will do, people may not again support them.
For after all, the only difference between BN and the Pakatan seems to be the personalities involved.
DAP and PAS is more clear in the positions that they take...but alas PKR likes slogans and general principles without disclosing specifics...This has to change.
Parti Keadilan Rakyat adalah sebuah parti politik yang berjuang membentuk sebuah masyarakat yang adil dan negara yang demokratik, progresif dan bersatu-padu kepada semua rakyat tanpa mengira bangsa ataupun agama.
Matlamat dan asas perjuangan politik kami termaktub di dalam 17 perkara di bawah:
1. Membentuk masyarakat yang adil dan negara yang demokratik, progresif dan bersatu-padu;
2. Menyemai rasa hormat untuk sistem Raja Berperlembagaan, memperkukuhkan Demokrasi Berparlimen dan menyokong hak dan kuasa rakyat, serentak dengan usaha berterusan untuk meningkatkan rangka politik negara sesuai dengan harapan dan kepentingan rakyat;
3. Mengasaskan dan menyemai kedaulatan undang-undang, media dan kehakiman yang bebas serta institusi keselamatan yang mendaulatkan prinsip-prinsip professionalisme;
4. Menjamin kebebasan berfikir, bersuara, bergerak, berhimpun dan berpersatuan untuk semua;
5. Mendaulatkan Islam sebagai agama Persekutuan sambil menjamin hak bukan Islam untuk beragama dan berfikir, dan untuk memperkembangkan peranan agama dan nilai-nilai sejagat demi menegakkan kebenaran, keadilan, tatacara berakhlak, kemanusiaan dan kemuliaan insan;
6. Menjamin Bahasa Malaysia sebagai bahasa kebangsaan dan bahasa rasmi, sambil menjamin hak semua warganegara mengguna, mempelajari dan dididik dalam bahasa-bahasa lain; dan menyemai pembangunan kebudayaan dan kesenian Islam berasaskan unsur-unsur penting warisan kebudayaan yang ada di negara ini;
7. Memperkembangkan sistem Persekutuan yang adil, bertanggungjawab dan demokratik yang mengimbangi kepentingan negeri-negeri dengan kuasa kerajaan Persekutuan;
8. Memperkasakan kemuliaan insan, nilai-nilai keinsanan dan budaya penyayang, mendaulatkan hak asasi manusia, dengan komitmen teguh terhadap prinsip kewibawaan dan akauntabiliti dalam bidang-bidang ekonomi, politik dan pentadbiran;
9. Membentuk ekonomi yang adil dan dinamik, yang mementingkan pertumbuhan dan juga pengagihan yang saksama, yang bebas daripada ketidakadilan, yang tidak bertepatan dan pembaziran, sambil mengatasi kemiskinan dan mencegah kekayaan tertumpu pada satu-satu pihak;
10. Menjamin, berasaskan prinsip keadilan, kedudukan kaum Melayu dan Bumiputera di Sabah dan Sarawak digunakan semata-mata untuk meningkatkan status sosio-ekonomi mereka yang miskin dan terpinggir, dan keperluan yang saksama dibuat untuk golongan miskin dan terpinggir bukan Melayu dan bukan Bumiputera, ke arah mencapai keadilan untuk perpaduan nasional;
11. Memberikan kemudahan sosial seperti pendidikan, kesihatan, perumahan, dan kenderaan awam pada kos berpatutan sesuai dengan tanggungjawab sosial kerajaan, terutamanya buat kumpulan berpendapatan rendah dan sederhana;
12. Memperkembangkan dan melindungi hak bekerja, gaji yang saksama, keselamatan di tempat kerja dan kualiti kehidupan untuk semua;
13. Memperkukuhkan kedudukan wanita dalam masyarakat, menyemai dan melindungi hak-hak dan kepentingan mereka dan menjamin yang mereka dapat menikmati status sama rata dan tidak menjadi mangsa diskriminasi dan eksploitasi;
14. Menyemai hak belia dan pembangunan penuh potensi mereka dan menjamin penglibatan bermakna belia dalam segala lapangan kehidupan;
15. Membaiki mutu kehidupan Orang Asal sambil menghormati adat resam mereka, melaksanakan program pembangunan yang sesuai menerusi perundingan dengan mereka, dan melindungi hak mereka ke atas Tanah Adat mereka;
16. Melindungi alam sekitar daripada kerosakan, mengelakkan pencemaran sambil meningkatkan kualiti alam sekitar dan memastikan pembangunan bersifat lestari;
17. Menggalakkan sistem antarabangsa yang saksama dan demokratik, melaksanakan dasar luar yang bebas dan beretika, membina persekitaran yang sesuai untuk masyarakat bermaklumat yang boleh menghadapi cabaran globalisasi sambil menolak unsur-unsur proses globalisasi yang mengancam kepentingan rakyat, negara dan umat manusia, dan melindungi ekonomi, politik dan keselamatan negara daripada dikiblatkan kepada kepentingan kuasa-kuasa besar dunia. - PKR Website
Why am critical of PKR and the Pakatan Rakyat? It is because I still have hope that there will be changes...real changes...real REFORMASI.
The sad thing about PKR may be the fact that many of their leaders are all ex-BN...and they have inadvertently brought in the BN way of thinking...and of doing things. PKR's objectives and principles are so like the BN, and like the BN it is vague...and it does not commit to anything specific..
And they continue taking in ex-BN people ...and elevating them to leadership positions. Heard that they now want to make that ex-UMNO...ex-BN Minister Zaid Ibrahim into PKR's number 2. Look at his history...Remember that Zaid Ibrahim was a UMNO man that lost in the last General Elections, and he is from Kelantan (and as such, taking into account that the chances of BN winning Kelantan is very slim). I do not think he had much of a political future in UMNO, and in fact he may not even have got a seat come next elections.
It was good that he apparently repented, and took a stand against the usage of ISA last year, and quit...but are we sure that he has changed, or he is just out seeking political glory...now that the tide is moving away from BN. [Or, is he here to break PKR and Pakatan - remember in Perak one BN adun jumped over....and then jumped back again with sufficient ADUNs to enable Perak to go to BN? - this may be far-fetched]
Has Zaid suddenly transformed into a 'new man' - fighting now for justice and human rights? I wonder...for only time will tell. There must be a 'cooling off' period of ex-BN jumpers - they should be thrust into national leadership positions until maybe 3 years or so...
The absorbing of BN leaders and making them PKR leaders overnight is also not good for PKR - for soon, the question would be whether PKR is really different from the BN.
Thus, it is important that a significant number, i.e. at least 80% of its national leadership should NOT be ex-BN leaders. I believe that PKR's Deputy President Syed Husin Ali should continue to be the PKR's Deputy President(the No. 3), with Anwar being No. 1 and his wife being No. 2. Hopefully, we will not be having his long time political assistant becoming the No.3 or some ex-UMNO Minister who just jumped becoming the No. 3.
But most importantly, PKR must commit to real specific changes that it will bring about - and when it will be done...
With these additional nominations, Zaid, who is also Federal Territory PKR chief, has gathered support from a total of nine divisions Saturday.
"This is my final stand. I am not ready to reconsider it,” he said at an open house in Guar Perahu, Penang, today.
They said PKR may change its candidate at the 11th hour if the BN decides not to field Palanivel. 
Zaid, who was expelled from Umno in December 2008, was a minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of legal affairs and judicial reform while Palanivel (left) was the deputy minister of Women, Family and Community Development. 
Born in Ulu Yam, he is known to be a close associate of PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim.
"The party will take into account various factors including his/her background, experience and qualifications; the demography of the voters; the particular characteristics of the constituency; views of coalition partners; and all other relevant factors.
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