Kamarul Zaman Yusoff said they should concern themselves about matters affecting the nation so the government can take action.
“Now that the reformasi party is part of the government, they are supposed to play a check-and-balance role and ensure the government fulfils its promises and voices out problems faced by the rakyat,” he told FMT.
He was asked to comment on outgoing PKR deputy youth chief Dr Afif Bahardin’s statement that he will be proposing a motion during the PKR Youth Congress to reform the party’s election process following problems with the e-voting system introduced for the first time this year.
Last year, the youth and women wings had raised issues linked to corruption under the BN government, transparency, good governance, 1MDB and a call to release Anwar Ibrahim, who was then still behind bars.
Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who used to be a prime target, was spared as he had already joined hands with PH to take over Putrajaya.
Kamarul said if the youths do not speak out during the congress they would be no different from the previous BN administration where the youth wings failed to speak up against the government.
“I have a feeling that the tone of PKR Youth may be subdued because they could be close to government leaders. They might not be bold enough to speak up against the government.”
This, he said, would be the wrong path to take.
“PKR is not just about party leaders like Anwar Ibrahim, Azmin Ali or Rafizi Ramli. It is about bringing the voices of the people to the stage.”
‘Anwar must unite opposing camps in PKR’
Universiti Utara Malaysia’s political analyst Prof Azizuddin Mohd Sani hopes Anwar would take the opportunity to unite the different camps in PKR.
“The congress is also a preparation for Anwar to be the next prime minister and to get support from its members.
“If Anwar does not unite the different camps, the party will split,” he warned.
Azizuddin also hopes youths, the women’s wing and the leaders would focus on economic, political and institutional reforms.
“PKR has been talking about reforms from day one of its formation. The time has come for it to show it is serious about reforms,” he added.
The PKR Congress, which starts on Friday, is its first gathering after PKR, which is part of Pakatan Harapan, formed the government after the May 9 polls.
The three-day congress is seen as a significant milestone for Anwar Ibrahim, who makes a return as president of the party he founded in 1998.
The official results for the controversial party election, which would determine the next deputy president, vice-presidents and 20 central leadership members, would also be announced at the congress.