RAFIZI: SOME HAVE FORGOTTEN THEIR ROOTS
PKR V-P wants to rid the party of feudalistic practices
PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli claims several party leaders, who have come into positions of power, have “forgotten their roots” and sidelined the party’s original purpose of championing the people’s rights.
Without naming names, Rafizi fired a broadside at the individuals, whom he described as being no different from Umno and Barisan Nasional leaders.
“Don’t get too comfortable. There are some who, since becoming ministers and political secretaries, have become like Umno and BN. They no longer acknowledge other people.
“They have won, and they’re now sitting in big cars, getting lots of allocations. They’ve stopped becoming a party that fights for the people,” he said at the “Reformasi 20 Tahun” event to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Reformasi movement.
Rafizi, who is PKR vice-president, will be challenging Datuk Seri Azmin Ali for the PKR deputy presidency. Azmin had remained quiet on whether he would be defending the post.
Rafizi said his bid for the deputy presidency was, among others, to rid the party of such leaders, whose feudalistic practice had made the culture prevalent within the party.
This, he said, was one of four reasons for his decision to contest the post. The others were to back Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s future bid for prime minister, strengthen the party and help its grassroots.
“Anwar will become the eighth prime minister. It means he will need a leadership team that is 100 per cent behind him.
“I am not merely fawning (taksub) over Anwar, but when he becomes PM, he will need a full mandate from the party leadership.
“We do not want a leadership who agrees in front of him but says the opposite behind him,” he said.
Rafizi emphasised the need for PKR to be free from feudalistic practices, where one “shakes and kisses hands”, and grassroots members could not criticise the leaders.
“That is not our culture. We are a reformation party because we are brave enough to criticise those in power. If anyone brings the culture of feudalism and money, as well as positions into the party, then we will fight it.”
Rafizi, at the same event, also unveiled the names of 18 party members in the newly-formed Reformasi 20 camp.
They included two-time PKR Women’s chief Fuziah Salleh (now minister in the Prime Minister’s Department), who will be contesting the post again.
Also in the list were Akmal Nasir, who would be contesting the PKR Youth chief post, as well as William Leong, who was gunning for a vice-president post.