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The half-day congress will take place in Kuala Lumpur and is separate from the party’s postponed national congress, which was delayed because of the recent floods.
PKR secretary-general Fuziah Salleh told FMT the party plans to 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.
Previously, grassroots members voted for the top-six leaders while delegates elected the 20 council members.
However, Fuziah explained that there were shortcomings in the system as many grassroots members lacked knowledge about the candidates.
“Members often voted based on names or followed voting blocs (cai) without understanding the candidates’ contributions or their ability to serve. This undermines the integrity of the process,” she said.
To address these issues, the proposed amendment will see delegates voting for both the top-six leaders and the 20 council members.
Fuziah said the number of delegates would also be increased significantly to strike a balance between grassroots participation and representativeness.
She estimated that out of PKR’s one million members, about 30% are active, with about 10% – or 30,000 members – forming the core group of delegates.
“Representation will also take into account the size of each division, with quotas set for women and ethnic groups based on electoral demographics. For divisions with more than 3,000 members, additional delegates will be allocated to ensure fairness,” she said.
Given the logistical challenges of accommodating 30,000 delegates at the congress, only 46 representatives from each division, consisting of division committee members, women leaders and youth wing leaders – will attend in person.
The remaining delegates will vote online, a move Fuziah described as progressive and inclusive.
In addition to the new voting system, she said, the new guidelines will aim to enhance transparency and security of the voting process.
She said every eligible voter will be issued an encrypted unique ID which ensures that there are no phantom voters or duplication in the system. To further prevent impersonation, PKR is exploring the use of facial verification technology.
The voting system will also involve a complete reset of the party’s existing Adil app, which will be updated to align with the new framework.
Fuziah said the amendments reflect PKR’s commitment to fair and transparent elections, stressing that the party wants to ensure members can elect leaders who truly represent them while addressing past challenges.
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